


Turn Back Time (Live. Die. Repeat)

by SterolineOTPForever



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Mystery, Time Loop
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-07-16 21:14:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7285006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SterolineOTPForever/pseuds/SterolineOTPForever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in the episode 6x06. Caroline goes off into the woods alone to rescue Enzo without Stefan. The outcome is tragically different, and Stefan will be forced to relive the same day, over and over again, hoping for a different outcome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First Tuesday

****“ _If I could turn back time, If I could find a way, I'd take back those words that hurt you,_ and you'd stay.”

Stefan opened his eyes as the song coming from the alarm clock woke him up, he reached his hand over to the end table and turned it off. He sat up and rubbed his hands over his face as he yawned. He pushed himself off the bed, walked over to the drawer and picked himself outsome clean clothes and then went into the bathroom to have a shower.

He came out less than ten minutes later, fully dressed, running the towel through his hair as he dried it. He felt more like himself than he had for the months he’d been away trying to start over, like he’d said last night in the Salvatore crypt he couldn’t get anywhere because he was lost. And then his big brother appeared before him like a wonderful hallucination, and then when he touched Damon reality hit him and he had never clutched his brother harder or had been so grateful that he was alive.

Damon was alive. The best news he’d ever had.

It felt like he’d just woken up from a nightmare, and now he had to face the reality of what his life had become. He’d hurt Caroline, just remembering the tears in her eyes when he walked away from her after she had begged him to stay was the worst feeling he’d felt in a long time. She was his best friend, and he had completely ignored her for months. Then when he had come back he did everything he could to leave her and everything else behind him.

He was the worst friend ever. He didn’t deserve her forgiveness but he was damn well going to do all he could to get it back. To get _Caroline_ back because he didn’t want to carry on without her by his side.

It had been ‘Caroline and Stefan’ for so long that he didn’t want to go back to just being ‘Stefan’. They had been there for each other through all the good times and the bad, and it was his own fault for pushing her away when he needed her most, but he couldn’t stay here and be reminded of Damon wherever he went.

He needed to fix them.

 

* * *

 

 

Caroline stormed out of Ric’s office, her arms folded around herself as she tried to get as far away from Stefan as possible. She couldn’t believe that he had turned in Enzo to be tortured and killed by Tripp. Enzo may not be the most moral of vampires but he had proven himself a friend to her, and he didn’t deserve to be killed the way that Tripp did it. Just as Ivy hadn’t deserved to die, no matter the jealousy she felt, she had been murdered for no good reason besides being a vampire.

“Caroline!” Stefan yelled after Caroline’s retreating form, quickening his steps and practically running to catch up with her, “Caroline, wait!”

“Nope. Not gonna happen.” Caroline marched on, whipping her head to the side to growl at Stefan, “I can’t stop because I have a friend to rescue.” Not waiting for a response she took a quick look around and then vamped off.

Stefan placed his hands on his hips and growled in annoyance. He was not going to let her go on her own and get herself killed trying to rescue _Enzo_ of all people. He followed after Caroline, knowing that she was going to Tripp’s cabin, and couldn’t help but grumble to himself.

“When the _hell_ did they become so friendly?” He kicked a rock in anger as he continued to vent to himself, “I knew they had chemistry when they went to Atlanta together.”

He refused to acknowledge that the itchy burning feeling in his veins was jealousy. Just as he hadn’t given it a name when Caroline went off with Enzo at the Traveller camp. He was just concerned for a friend, that was all.

He gritted his teeth and chased after Caroline.

 

* * *

 

Caroline was fuming as she walked through the woods. She still couldn’t get over the fact that Stefan had just handed one of them over to be killed like it was nothing, and she wondered whether he had told Tripp about Ivy too so that she wouldn’t be a problem any more. She hated thinking like that, especially about _Stefan_ , who until around four months ago had been one of the best people that she knew, and her best friend. She would have never thought he would be capable of that, but the Stefan she’d found in Savannah was a completely different person than the Stefan Salvatore she used to know and she wasn’t sure if he was someone that she wanted to know.

Her heart screamed a different answer but she resolutely ignored it.

Her phone broke the silence of the woods. She took it out of her pocket, and seeing Stefan’s name on the screen made her want to ignore it like he’d ignored her all summer, but she pushed that urge aside – for now – and answered with an irritated, “Yes?”

”Caroline, I need you to wait for me.” Stefan’s voice was tight with concern.

“Why?” Caroline huffed out a breath, before replying angrily, “So you can hand me over to Tripp yourself?”

Stefan felt like a dagger had pierced his heart at her accusation. His voice was low with hurt as he asked, “Do you really think I could do that to _you_?”

“You did it to Enzo. Why not me too?”

Stefan shut his eyes tightly, stomach aching at how far he’d fallen in her eyes. He tried to justify his actions to her, “Look, Enzo wasn’t being careful. Tripp would’ve caught him eventually, and that meant danger for all of us.”

“Right.” Caroline replied sarcastically, not believing Stefan’s lame excuse for a moment, “So, you handed Enzo over so that we wouldn’t be targeted, and now you’re _rescuing_ him so we won’t be targeted.” She shook her head, throwing her hand out in annoyance, “Way to go.”

“Well, I thought Tripp was gonna kill him. I didn’t think he was going to keep him alive for information.” Stefan replied without thinking, wincing at how that would sound to Caroline.

“Oh!” Caroline let the sarcasm coat her voice once more, not realising just how loud her voice was becoming, “Well, in that case, sounds like you were just being _practical_.” She didn’t want to ask this but she felt like she had to, “So, did you rat out Ivy, too?”

“What?” Stefan was confused.

“Well, you didn’t want to deal with her any more. You wanted her gone, and now she is.” Caroline voice grew louder, not paying attention to where she was as she was more concerned with her fight with Stefan, “You know what, you _really_ should write Tripp a thank you note.”

 

* * *

 

Stefan was about to reply, offended that Caroline could even suggest that he would do such a thing, when there was the sound of her pained gasp over the line and a thud. He gripped his hand on the steering wheel tighter as he said her name, “Caroline?”

No answer.

”Caroline?” He called out more desperately. Still nothing. He repeated her name once more with deep fear colouring his tone, “ _Caroline_?!”

All he could hear was the sounds of boots crunching leaves and a body being dragged along the floor. His heart plummeted into his stomach, his breathing quickening with his fear. Obviously Tripp’s men had captured Caroline while she was distracted.

He put his foot down on the gas and floored it. He needed to get to Caroline before anything happened to her.

He would never forgive himself if anything happened to her because of him turning Enzo in.

 

* * *

 

Caroline groaned as she came around, her eyes fluttering open, her vision blurred from the vervain they’d used to subdue her. She tested her hands which were of course bound in chains. She was tied to a chair. She rolled her head to the side, and of course the first thing she saw was a bound Enzo huddled against the wall.

“Hello, gorgeous.” Enzo smiled at her, dark amusement in his tone, “Fancy meeting you here.”

Caroline was so relieved to see that Enzo was alive that she chuckled, “All of the creepy cabins and I just happen to find yours.”

“Thank you.” Enzo gazed at her in all seriousness, grateful for what he knew she’d done for him, “I have never had anyone come for me before.”

“Yeah well, you are an idiot.” Caroline’s smile turned tremulous, her eyes filling with tears, her voice broken, “But, you’re _my_ idiot friend.”

“Love you too, gorgeous.” Enzo replied, his own throat tightening with repressed emotion, a bad feeling curling in his gut making him fill with dread.

They were interrupted by the sound of the door opening and Tripp walked in. He looked at Caroline with disgust, “I wonder if the sheriff knows that her daughter is a vampire.”

“Leave my mom alone!” Caroline hissed, the veins rippling beneath her eyes in her rage.

Tripp casually leaned against the wall as he crossed his arms over his chest, “Now it makes more sense why the sheriff didn’t want to investigate the supposed animal attacks.” He took a vial out of his pocket and threw it over Caroline, satisfied at the way she screamed, “She was protecting her daughter.”

Caroline gritted her teeth as her skin sizzled and burned because of the vervain. She took deep breaths, trying to push the pain to the back of her mind, levelling a glare on Tripp as she hissed, “Stay. Away. From. My. Mom.”

Tripp chuckled, pushing himself away from the wall to walk over to the two vampires. He grinned at them, his voice smug as he told them, “You’ll be much too dead to wonder about what I’m going to do to your mom.”

Caroline struggled against her restraints, flashing her fangs at him, wanting more than anything to tear into his carotid to protect her mom from him.

Enzo recognised the glint in Tripp’s eyes, having seen it on many of the doctors at Whitmore when he was their test subject. The pleasure they derived from hurting and torturing vampires; whether they were guilty or not. He needed to get Tripp’s attention, “She’s not the one you want, mate. I know the locations of all the vampires in this town.”

Caroline whipped her head to gaze tearfully at Enzo, her stomach tightening with fear at the thought of her friends being in danger, “Enzo!”

Enzo sent her a reassuring look, trying to tell her without words that he had a plan, “There is a professor at Whitmore, Alaric Saltzman. He’s a vampire.”

Caroline tried to hide her relief. Ric was an Original vampire that could more than take care of himself as he was unkillable. She found a glimmer of hope to cling onto. She played her part though, not wanting to raise any suspicions if she had no reaction, “No! How could you sell us out?”

Enzo wanted to applaud at Caroline’s impeccable acting skills. She had just the right amount of riotous fury mixed with a hint of the dramatic. Tripp seemed to be buying it.

“I’ll have my boys check it out.”Tripp responded before leaving them alone again.

Caroline stared after the door he just left and declared seriously, “I am gonna kill him when I get out of here.”

“Right behind you, gorgeous.” Enzo agreed, hoping that someone would come for Caroline at least so that they could get out of here.

 

* * *

 

Stefan was calling Damon as he skidded his car into a stop at the edge of the woods, throwing the door open he leapt out and started running. The moment his brother picked up he barked into the phone, “The hunter, Tripp, has Caroline in his cabin in the woods. Get everyone and meet me there.” He hung up without waiting for a reply.

He needed to reach Caroline and save her. Nothing else mattered to him but saving her.

He neared the cabin, hiding in the trees as he spotted several of Tripp’s men getting into his van and driving off. That left less people guarding Caroline, but he doubted that it would be easy to get to her. He silently made his way over to the door, listening attentively for the sound of other people, he could hear breathing but he had no clue how many were in there. He could wait for Damon and the others, or he could rush in.

He didn’t want to wait so he rushed in. It was unlike him but this was _Caroline_.

He pushed the door open carefully, releasing a breath of relief as he saw Caroline tied to the chair; _alive_. He let a smile curl his lips as he walked all the way into the room, “Caroline.”

Caroline couldn’t help the smile from turning her lips at the sight of Stefan, no matter how mad at him she was, he actually came for her, and that made her damn right giddy. Perhaps there was a part of the Stefan she knew buried in there somewhere, “Stefan.”

Stefan rushed over to her, easily breaking her chains as he wasn’t weakened with vervain. He slid his arm around her back and wrapped her arm around his neck as he lifted her up. He was surprised she was alone in the room so he asked, “I’m surprised that Enzo’s not here with you.”

“He was.” Caroline answered, taking small steps as she let Stefan shoulder her weight, “Tripp took Enzo with him, and just left me here.”

She and Stefan were about to cross the threshold when her eyes looked up directly into Tripp’s. Before she could say a word she felt a punch to the chest and her world narrowed down to the piece of wood sticking out of her chest. A gasp of horrified disbelief left her, and a tear slipped down her rapidly greying cheek.

“I left you on your own so that your vampire friends could come to me for their deaths.” Tripp smirked, pulling his hand back taking the stake from her chest.

Stefan cried out as Caroline became a dead weight in his arms, her arm slackening around his neck so that she was no longer holding onto him. It hadn’t clicked yet, his brain trying to protect him from the truth just a little bit longer, his voice shaky as he said her name, praying that she would respond, “Caroline?”

A deafening silence was his only reply.

“Did you know that she was a vampire? Or were you only interested in handing Enzo over?” Tripp asked, still under the impression that Stefan was a human so he didn’t see the danger coming.

Stefan’s eyes finally fell to her face, and he released a heartbroken cry at the sight of her darkened veins and grey skin colour. Caroline was dead. He acted before thinking, his free hand shooting out to clutch at Tripp’s throat, lifting him off the ground as he yelled brokenly, “You killed her!”

“She’s a vampire.” Tripp choked out around the hand on his throat, his fingers digging uselessly into Stefan’s steel-like lock on his neck.

Stefan pulled Tripp close to his face, letting the veins ripple beneath his eyes as he growled, “ _So am I_!” He tightened his fingers on his throat, tears pouring down his face as he sobbed, “You killed the kindest person I’ve ever met.”

He wrenched his wrist to the side, breaking Tripp’s neck in an instant – a death that was too good for him; he should have suffered more – then dropped him to the ground in a crumpled mass of arms and legs.

He fell to his knees, cradling her body close to him, his head resting on hers as he cried. His best friend, who he had treated like shit for the past few months, was dead in his arms. She had been staked with him by her side.

He broke his promise.

He hadn’t protected her.

He let her be staked right in his arms.

She died thinking that he didn’t care about her.

He closed his eyes in despair and released a cry of her name, “ _Caroline!”_

Tears slid unchecked down his cheeks as he sobbed his heart out.

He felt broken.

He’d lost Caroline.

He let out another howl of heartbreak, the birds scattering from the trees at his sound of grief.

 

* * *

 

“ _If I could turn back time, If I could find a way, I'd take back those words that hurt you,_ and you'd stay.”

Stefan opened his eyes as the song coming from the alarm clock woke him up, a cry of his best friend's name falling from his lips as he sat up, “Caroline!”

His breathing was laboured, his eyes wide with fear, his heart racing in his chest as the grief hit him all over again. Caroline was dead. She had died in his arms last night. He couldn’t even remember how he got to his motel room. His last memory was holding Caroline to him as he cried over her.

He reached his hand over to the end table to turn the annoying alarm clock off when he read the LCD display; 8 _:00 Tuesday_. He had to do a double take, rubbing his hands over his eyes before looking again. It didn’t change.

_8:00. Tuesday._

_Tuesday._

_TUESDAY._

It should be Wednesday. Caroline died on a Tuesday, yesterday, so today should have been Wednesday.

He opened his drawer with a shaky hand, pulling his cell out and dialling her number before he even thought about it. He clenched his eyes shut as he hoped and prayed to hear the voice that he thought he would never hear again.

He heard a click, and then a beautifully annoyed voice answered, “Why are you calling me at eight in the morning, Stefan?”

Stefan released a shuddering breath, the cries of relief stuck in his throat, the beautiful lilt of her voice soothing his soul.

Caroline was alive.

He got a chance to redo that horrible day and make sure that Caroline would be nowhere near Tripp or his stake.

He was going to save her.

“Stefan?” Caroline’s voice grew quiet with concern, “Is everything okay?”

He swallowed down the lump in his throat, and answered her with a voice full of determination, “Everything is going to be just fine, Caroline.”

 


	2. The Second Tuesday

****After Stefan hung up the phone with Caroline - which took a lot of effort on his part as he didn’t want to stop hearing her beautiful voice, not when he thought he would never hear it again - he just sat at the edge of the bed as he tried to work out what happened.

Caroline had died in his arms yesterday, only today was now yesterday and not tomorrow. He furrowed his brow, that sounded confusing to himself, no matter if he tried to tell anyone what happened. Who would he tell? Who would believe him? How could he even explain what happened when he had no idea how he was able to relive the worst day he’d ever had.

He had somehow travelled back in time by a day and he had a second chance to save his best friend from a fate that she did not deserve. One that was completely his fault. If he had never turned in Enzo to be killed by Tripp – so that the blood would not be on his hands – Caroline would have never left on her own in anger, she wouldn’t have tried to rescue Enzo which had gotten herself captured, he never would have needed to rescue her which ended in her being staked in his arms.

He would not let that happen a second time.

He got up to retrieve a pad and pen off the side near the phone, moving over to sit in the chair and rest the pad on the wooden arm. He needed to remember the important things from yesterday, and decide on the best way to save Caroline from her tragic fate. He would not break his promise this time, he would not let anything happen to her, not again. With determination to change everything filling him, he start to jot down the important things in order:

_Matt told everyone that Enzo was captured_

_I revealed that is was me that turned him in_

_Caroline was furious and vamped off_

_I called her and we had a fight over the phone_

_She was captured_

_I rushed there to save her, easily entering the cabin to find her alone_

_I ripped the chains off of her, helping her to the door_

_Tripp was there, and before I could even react he’d staked her_

_Caroline… was dead_

Stefan threw the pad onto the nearby bed, rubbing a hand over his eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. Writing that one sentence killed him, putting to paper that Caroline _actually died_ broke his heart in two. Even though the day had rewound, he still felt the grief that had crippled him yesterday, because she had died in his arms, he had seen her usually lovely face marred by greyness, the light had left her eyes, and she was gone. Just because he had a chance to redo the day didn’t mean that he wasn’t still grieving her. His first instinct was to leave to find her, so that he could see her, touch her, hold her, and make sure she was real.

He still wanted to do that, and it took everything inside of him to stop himself from going to her but he had more important things to do. Like save Caroline’s life. He would not lose her like he had. She was one of the most important people to him, and he couldn’t live in a world without her. Not one where he had separated from her intentionally, but one where she was ripped from him through death and he would never be able to see her ever again.

This would not be Caroline Forbes last Tuesday spent on this earth.

 

* * *

 

Stefan stalked his way through the woods, his feet silent as he moved with the grace of the predator that he used to pretend he wasn’t. He held a tranquillizer gun in his hand, prepared to knock out the boys who weren’t directly involved in Caroline’s death, willing to give them one last chance. Tripp, however, would not be granted such mercy. Even though he hadn’t killed her _this_ Tuesday, he had murdered Caroline in cold blood on yesterday’s Tuesday, and that sinful action would not grant him a second chance to do it again.

He would kill Tripp, again, and he would take great pleasure in spending a longer amount of time to rid him of his life this time. He would make him beg him for death, which he would not grant until he was satisfied that he had felt pure agony.

Caroline would be avenged, even if she would never know what he’d done or _why_ he’d done it. She deserved to have the bastard that took her life to suffer greatly for daring to harm such a kind, sweet, and loving person.

The world would be a darker place without the light of Caroline Forbes.

 

* * *

 

Caroline was still reeling from the news that Damon was alive and that Bonnie was not. They were not in the same place, so as per usual with the suckiness that was their lives, the kind and sacrificing Bonnie was somewhere hopefully at peace, and like the cockroach that he is Damon gets to come back from the dead.

It wasn’t fair.

No matter how many times Bonnie had already come back from the dead, she didn’t deserve to have her life end before she’d even reached twenty, never even having a proper chance to live her life and experience all the good and bad that came with it. Damon on the other hand was over 170, he had lived for a long _long_ time, and for most of those years he had been a horrible person.

On the other hand, Damon died bringing his brother back from the dead, plus Elena, Tyler and Alaric. Both he and Bonnie had made a sacrifice to bring everyone back from the Other Side before it collapsed, Bonnie’s sacrifice was intentional, whereas Damon’s was not, but he knew the risks before he killed himself in a blaze of glory.

Thinking about Damon and Bonnie ultimately led to thoughts of Stefan. He had been a world class jerk since Damon died, abandoning her and then contacting everyone _but_ her, leaving without a second glance as she pathetically asked him to stay.

She knew that she had feelings for him, deeper than she’d care to acknowledge, because opening that door would lead to nothing but heartbreak for her. Stefan had made his feelings on the two of them very clear all those years ago – _you, me, not gonna happen –_ and after the way he’d treated her, seeming not to care about the hurt, pain, and grief that she had been going through, perhaps it was time to cut her losses and move on.

She had thought that Stefan felt something for her too before Damon died, they were growing closer and closer everyday, and she had noticed moments of tension between them. She had witnessed that after Katherine impersonated Elena, and the Travellers placed visions of a human life with Elena, that he had finally moved on from her. He was lighter, happier, and freer ever since that doppelgänger spell was taken off of them.

She thought that they had been moving towards becoming more than friends. But he had left her behind and stopped talking to her or listening to her messages without a second thought. So she must have been wrong, and confused their close friendship with feelings of the more romantic kind.

Stefan no longer wanted to be with Elena.

Obviously, he didn’t want to be with Caroline either.

It hurt, but he told her three years ago when they first met that him and her would never happen. It was her own fault for seeing things that weren’t there, for confusing his actions with more than friendship.

He loved her as a friend, but he wasn’t _in love_ with her.

Now she would try to convince herself really, _really_ , hard that what she felt for Stefan was nothing more than a crush, a stupid infatuation with her saviour, and was not and never had been love.

 

* * *

 

Stefan was crouched behind a tree as he watched Tripp’s men as they guarded the outside of the cabin. There was two of them, and while he could easily take them out with a silent approach and two flicks of his wrist, he was attempting to spare these misguided fools.

He needed to draw at least one of them away from their position so that he could take him out first, and then get the other one without alerting Tripp or whoever was inside. He searched the ground for a branch, snapping it to get their attention, and then he hid behind a tree waiting with his tranquillizer gun ready just behind the spot he wanted them to investigate.

He waited patiently as one of the boys came to see what had made the noise. He readied his gun, lining up his shot so that he got him in the neck, waiting a moment for him to come even more into the cover of the trees before he pulled the trigger. His body fell to the ground with a thump, getting the attention of the other one that had stayed at the door. Stefan waited for him to make his way nearer before shooting him just before he could see his downed friend so that he wouldn’t make a sound and alert anyone else. He pulled the boy’s unconscious body next to his friend, and made his way closer to the door.

He flattened his back against the wall next to the door, opening up his hearing so that he could hear what was going on inside. He could hear Tripp and Enzo. Listening harder, he stretched his hearing as far as he could, concentrating with all his might to hear the sound of another human being. There was no one.

He tucked the gun into the waistband at the back of his pants as he wouldn’t be needing it any more. He wanted Tripp lucid for what he was about to do to him. He would not give him a chance to dull the pain he was going to be giving him.

First he had to rescue Enzo.

He clenched his teeth at that, wanting nothing more than to go in there and kill the both of them, but as evidenced by Caroline’s reaction yesterday, that would push her even further away from him. She and Enzo were _friends_. His hands curled into fists at the thought, hating that Caroline had befriended him even knowing how he killed without thought, how he had forced Stefan to kill him to try and make Damon hate him again, and how he was _another British man_ buzzing around Caroline.

He wasn’t jealous. Caroline just deserved better than the British assholes who thought they knew what was best for her, without even knowing a single thing about her like Stefan did. He was her best friend, he knew everything there was to know about her, every single secret she shared with him just as he shared the demons of his past with her.

In fact, he didn’t think anyone knew him in the way that Caroline did. Not Lexi, not Damon, and certainly not Elena. Caroline knew _everything,_ and she was still there by his side trying to make him smile and laugh despite the evil things he had done in his past. Just as he championed Caroline in all things, because she exceeded every expectation you could lay at her feet with a smile on her face and a spring in her step, happy to prove you wrong.

She was pretty much the most perfect woman he had ever known.

A smile stretched his mouth at the thought. Caroline truly was the happiest, the kindest person he’d ever known, and she didn’t deserve any of the bad things that happened to her. She should never feel pain again. He was more than willing to make sure she would never be taken away from him again.

Once he had saved her life, he would do everything he could to get her friendship back, because now that he was back in her orbit, it suddenly hit him how much he had truly _missed_ her when he was gone. He would do anything to get her back because he needed her back, and he didn’t want to live without her.

With that thought in mind, and determination filling him he silently pushed the door open. He peeked inside; Tripp was standing by Enzo interrogating him for the locations of other vampires. He saw the exact moment Enzo noticed him – his eyes widened a fraction, and rage filled them. He didn’t wait for Enzo to let Tripp know of his presence, he just vamped across the room and slammed Tripp straight into the wall making sure not to knock him out. He fished around in his pockets quickly for the key, and tossed it over to the ground by his feet, “Release yourself and leave. Make sure Caroline is safe.”

Enzo paused in his actions of unlocking his chains to furrow his brow at Stefan, “Why would gorgeous not be safe?” He glared at him, “Have you left her unprotected?”

“She’s at Whitmore.” Stefan grunted out, trying to keep Tripp subdued and having to put more of his weight behind his hold, “Elena and Damon are there but I would feel better if she had some more back up just in case something happens.”

“Damon?!” Enzo exclaimed in shock, his eyes wide at hearing the name of his dead best friend, “What…?”

“Oh, forgot you don’t know. Damon’s alive.” Stefan smiled, not caring for a moment about what Enzo had said to him about not being a brother to Damon or that he’d turned Ivy, his brother was _alive_ and that was the only thing that mattered right now. Well, that and making sure that Caroline stayed alive.

“How?” Enzo asked in amazement as he shook off the rest of his chains and stood up fully for the first time in days. He had looked in every book and spoken to every witch to find a way to bring Damon back but there was nothing. A dead end around every corner.

“Now is not the time.” Stefan needed to get on with what he came here for and that was to kill Tripp very _very_ slowly before the two boy’s he knocked out awakened, which shouldn’t be for a good couple of hours. He had the time to flex his ripper self, but only once Enzo was gone.

Enzo narrowed his eyes at Stefan’s eagerness to get rid of him. He didn’t want to follow his orders for the simple fact that Stefan was the one giving them, but he could really do with a bite before he and him had their inevitable showdown, and it wouldn’t do to pick a fight when the odds were uneven. He let a smirk curve his face, “I shall just ask Damon myself then, while checking on Caroline to make sure she is still her lovely, gorgeous self.”

Stefan gritted his teeth, trying to stop himself from reacting to Enzo’s comment, knowing that is exactly what he wants to happen. He wouldn’t rise to the bait as he had more important things to do. He glared at Enzo and barked, “Leave!”

Enzo just walked out the door, breathing in the fresh air of freedom for a moment before going on the hunt for something warm and blonde.

Stefan waited until he heard Enzo was far enough away before he chained up Tripp with the chains that had bound Enzo. He stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest as he glared down at him, “Alone at last.”

“What the hell are you doing?” Tripp yelled, hoping that his raised voice would alert his men outside, “You were the one who gave me Enzo! Yet, you are a vampire.”

“Never said I wasn’t.” Stefan shrugged, loosening his control on his caged ripper, bringing him close to the surface without turning his humanity off, “Enzo pissed me off and you were killing vampires. I assumed you would just kill him and not keep him alive for information.”

“Even though you were the one that handed him over he never once revealed your name.” Tripp commentated, surprised that Enzo hadn’t told him about Stefan at the first chance he got, especially as he was the one to hand him over, “Any of your names, in fact.”

“I’m sure he would have eventually.” Stefan walked over to a table laden with instruments of pain. He glided his fingers across the table, sending a sadistic grin over to Tripp, “Enzo is not my concern. You are.”

“And why is that?” Tripp began to sweat as he heard no sound of incoming people, afraid that Stefan had killed his men to get to him. Fear made his Adam’s Apple bob up and down as he swallowed.

Stefan noticed the signs of his fear and his grin widened, “If you are waiting for your guys to show up you’ll be waiting for a long time. I took care of them.” He didn’t specify how, leaving it open to interpretation, letting Tripp form his own conclusion of what he had done to the two guards outside.

“You killed them? You worthless bastard.” Tripp yanked uselessly at his chains, wanting to kill Stefan only he couldn’t and something told him he wouldn’t be surviving their encounter, “Just tell me why you are doing this to me?”

Stefan picked up a large hunters knife from the table and languidly walked over to Tripp. He dropped to a crouch in front of him, playing with the tip of the knife with his finger, while shooting him a look full unsuppressed rage, “Because you killed the woman who means everything to me.”

Tripp creased his brow, “Ivy?”

“No, not Ivy.” Stefan raised his hand with the knife to slit a cut down his face as he growled in rage, “ _Caroline_.”

“Caroline’s not dead!” Tripp cried out in both fear and pain, panic turning his pupils wide as his veins turned to ice in his terror, “I haven’t touched her!”

“You did. Yesterday you killed her right in front of me.” Stefan cut another line, this time across his jaw.

“What are you talking about? Yesterday?!” Tripp started to shake, convinced that Stefan must be insane, he hadn’t even seen Caroline, “I haven’t touched her.”

“You would have, but I’ve stopped you.” Stefan grinned at the next cut across Tripp’s chest which made him scream, “I’ve saved her.”

“You’re insane.” Tripp yelled, thrashing against his chains, trying to get away from Stefan and his knife.

Stefan shook his head, “I’ve saved Caroline’s life by taking yours before you even have the chance to kill her.”

He continued to torture Tripp, each new scream bringing him satisfaction while also making him feel relief. He could no longer harm Caroline.

He had saved her.

 

* * *

 

Caroline was walking across the campus when she noticed Stefan across from her. She hesitated for a moment on whether to talk to him, especially after having an interesting conversation with Enzo earlier. Apparently Stefan had handed him over to Tripp to be killed, only to suddenly go and rescue him. She was furious at what he’d done, but at the same time she was confused why Stefan would save him if he wanted him dead.

Stefan smiled happily as he saw Caroline make her way over to him. Her blonde locks shone in the sunshine, and while he could detect the anger in her gaze he had never been more happier to see her. Tripp was dead and buried in the woods, and no longer posed a threat to Caroline any longer.

She was safe.

Caroline stopped just in front of him, glaring at him as she let her anger rule her, “Why the hell did you have Enzo captured? Especially if you were just going to rescue him.” She shook her head in confusion, “Is it because Damon’s alive? You needed to save his friend.”

“I was angry when I turned Enzo in. Damon being back made me feel guilty for getting him captured.” Stefan replied with a half truth. Yesterday it had been guilt for getting Enzo captured that had spurred him on to confess to Caroline, Ric, and Matt that it was him that turned him in. Today, it was all to do with saving Caroline.

“So you should.” Caroline agreed, glaring daggers at Stefan, “He may not be the best person in the world but he is my friend.”

“I know.” Stefan replied softly, wanting so much to reach out and touch Caroline but he knew that a touch from him would not be welcomed, not right now.

Caroline could sense that Stefan was different, yesterday he had walked away yet again, granted after she told him to but still, he could have stayed if he really wanted to. Somehow Damon being back had changed him back into the Stefan she used to know. The turnaround gave her whiplash.

Stefan smiled at her, taking in each of her lovely features with hungry eyes. He could finally breathe easier now that she was in front of him, alive and _beautiful._ She was safe and he felt relief sweep his body. He had succeeded.

Now he needed to make up to her for how terrible he’s treated her. He placed his hand on her forearm, stealing a touch to confirm yet again that she was here in front of him; _alive_. He tilted his head to the side to ask hopefully, “Do you want to grab a coff-”

Caroline gasped, falling straight into Stefan’s arms limply.

“Caroline!” Stefan caught her easily, his heart racing in fear at how slack she was in his arms. He pulled her against his chest, looking down at her face only to cry out in horror, “No!”

Caroline’s skin was grey, her veins darkened.

Stefan’s knees buckled as they fell to the ground, tears falling down his cheeks as he shook his head in disbelief, “No. No. No.” He pushed his face into her golden locks, sobs racking his body, heartbreak and grief hitting him all over again.

He was supposed to have prevented this. Tripp was dead, he was the one who killed her before, but he was dead. She should be alive. He killed Tripp so that this would never happen. _She should still be alive!_ Not lifeless in his arms for the second time in two days.

“That was for Tripp.” An angry voice hissed.

Stefan raised his tearful gaze once he heard the voice, looking through the curtain of Caroline’s blonde hair to see one of the boys he tranquillized standing behind them holding a crossbow.

He shook his head in denial, overwhelmed with realising horror. He had spared him, and he had killed Caroline. Once again he was unable to save her, not even recognising danger for the second time, she was dead again because of him.

He clutched her tighter and buried his face in her hair as he sobbed over and over again, “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, Caroline!”

He had broken his promise again.

 

* * *

 

“ _If I could turn back time, If I could find a way, I’d take back those words that hurt you, and you’d stay.”_

“Caroline!” Stefan yelled out as he awoke, his cheeks wet with his tears, his heart feeling like someone had stabbed a knife through it.

He glanced his eyes over to the alarm clock, seeing those same damaging words on the LCD; _8:00 Tuesday_. He reached over, taking hold of the alarm clock, yelling in rage he threw it at the wall shattering it to pieces.

He rest his elbows on his thighs, covering his face with his hands as he broke down in heartbroken sobs as the reality of his situation hit him.

He was repeating Tuesday, over and over. He was watching Caroline be taken from him, again and again. And there was nothing he could do.

He had changed everything that happened the first time around and Caroline was still killed right in front of him.

He would not fail this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN – What do you guys think? Caroline is dead again, and Stefan is still repeating Tuesday. The mystery continues ;)


	3. Tuesday Again

****Stefan stalked through the woods, rage in his every step. He was taking no prisoners today. Every single person holding Enzo at that cabin was going to die today, no exceptions. He had watched Caroline die twice already, he would not make it a third time.

Things were about to get bloody.

He had no gun, no stakes, no knifes, no weapon of any kind. He was the only weapon he needed. He would take great pleasure in taking each one of their lives. Caroline would live.

 

* * *

 

Stefan reached the cabin, hiding in the shadows of the trees as he spied the two boys he knocked out with the tranquilizer gun yesterday. Today they would not be so lucky. He silently made his way to the back of the cabin, listening intently for how many people surrounded him. There was Enzo and Tripp in the cabin, and the two boys on guard out front.

He made his way around the cabin, watching from around the corner for both guys to look away before he vamped over to them, grabbing hold of the first one by the head and savagely tearing it from his neck. The other guy turned around at the sound of a strangely wet noise, his eyes widening in horror at the sight that greeted him, looking up at death in front of him in fear, not even getting the chance to make a noise before Stefan was on him.

Stefan placed his hand over his mouth to silence any sound he might make, his other grabbing his neck and he twisted his hands breaking his neck instantly. He let the body fall to the floor to join his friend on the ground.

Two down, one to go.

He kicked the door of the cabin open, speeding over to Tripp he punched his hand clear through his chest, destroying his heart and killing him instantly. He took his time yesterday, now he just needed to get to Caroline as soon as possible so that he could protect her for the rest of the day.

Caroline would make it to Wednesday.

He took his hand back from Tripp's chest, his body falling with a thud to the ground now that Stefan's arm wasn't holding him up. He didn't even bother attempting to wipe the blood off, as he was covered in the red substance already.

Enzo raised his eyebrows, the only sign of his shock, and addressed the blood soaked Stefan, "Not that I don't appreciate the dramatic rescue, because I do, but... _why_?" He wrinkled his forehead in confusion, never in a thousand years expecting _Stefan_ to be the one to rescue him, "Especially seeing as you are the reason I'm locked up again."

"Caroline." Stefan answered, the only answer he could and was willing to give to Enzo. Everything he's done, what lengths he's willing to go to, it was all for Caroline.

"Ah!" Enzo smirked, a knowing glint appearing in his eyes, "You finally realized what's been under your nose this whole time."

"Huh?" Stefan frowned, not knowing what Enzo was talking about it, "What are you talking about?"

Enzo stared at Stefan for a beat, searching his face for any signs he was trying to avoid answering. He wasn't. Stefan appeared to have genuinely no clue as to what he was referring to. Enzo chuckled to himself, "Idiots, the both of you."

Stefan crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head as he rolled his eyes in exasperation, "I don't have time for whatever you think you know. I have more important things to do today."

"Like Caroline?" Enzo snorted.

Stefan stared at Enzo with his mouth wide open, the shock of his statement rendering him speechless. He could not even think of a response, his power of speech stolen by the images brought up in his head.

Enzo actually laughed at the deer in the headlights look Stefan was wearing. He was as oblivious as Caroline was in denial. Not that Stefan deserved her after the way he's treated her in the months since Damon died.

Stefan glared at Enzo, forcibly removing the thought from his head. He didn't think of her in that way, Caroline was his friend. He needed to save her life because he couldn't live without his best friend. There was nothing more to his feelings than saving a friend.

Enzo held out his chained wrists, "Are you going to untie me?"

Stefan continued to glare at Enzo for another few moments just to let him sweat before he crouched down and searched Tripp for the key. He threw it in Enzo's direction before he stood up and made his way to the door.

"Where are you going?" Enzo called after Stefan, waiting for him to turn around before gesturing to Tripp's body, "Are you not going to clean up your mess?"

"I have a far more important task for today than digging graves." Stefan replied before walking out of the cabin and making his way back to Whitmore and Caroline.

Enzo narrowed his eyes at Stefan's retreating back. There was something _off_ about him but he couldn't put his finger on it. He walked out of the cabin, tasting his first breath of freedom for days, when he noticed the blood in the air. He looked down and raised his eyebrow in surprise. Two of Tripp's men were at his feet, one broken neck, the other head ripped clean off.

What could they have possibly done to set Stefan off like this? He didn't think this was over Ivy, while Stefan was angry that Enzo had killed her, once he found out that she was a vampire he couldn't get rid of her quick enough.

He dragged the bodies into the cabin, searching around until he found a lighter and conveniently a can of gas. He spread the gas around the cabin until the can was empty which he threw in. He sparked the lighter and threw it through the door, a moment later the cabin was consumed in flames.

He walked away.

 

* * *

 

Stefan was thankful that he had a spare shirt in his car to replace his bloodstained one. He didn't want to waste anymore time than he had to so that he could get to Caroline as soon as possible.

He didn't think he'd ever driven as fast as he was right now. Even though he'd eliminated the threat to her he was still on edge, his veins filled with an icy cold dread, and that wouldn't go away until the clock ticked past midnight and Tuesday finally became Wednesday.

The hard part now was trying to convince Caroline to not leave his side and somehow stay indoors. He was not sure how he would convince her of that but he had to. Her life depended on her not putting herself in danger, which at the moment was whenever she stepped outside.

He finally reached Whitmore and parked his car in the first spot he found. He got out and locked the car. He all but ran up to her dorm room, frantically knocking on her door as he waited for her to answer. He held his breath as the door opened and he released it in a disappointed sigh as Elena stood before him. His heart picked up speed as he asked with a touch of desperation in his voice, "Where's Caroline?"

Elena furrowed her brow at Stefan's frantic expression, "Um, she's in class, I think."

"You think?" Stefan grabbed hold of her arm, his eyes wide as he asked again, "Are you positive that she's in class?"

"I don't know, Stefan." Elena shrugged her arm out of his tightening grip, "I haven't seen her since she told me that... Damon's back."

Stefan rubbed his hands over his face, frustration and fear warring for dominance inside of him. He couldn't protect her if he didn't know where she was. He turned to go when Elena grabbed hold of his arm to stop him, he turned back to her with a raised eyebrow, hoping that whatever she had to say she would be quick about it. He had to find Caroline.

"Is that blood?" Elena asked, looking down at the smears of blood on the back of his hand, "Stefan, what happened?"

Stefan pulled his arm away from her, sticking his hand into the pocket of his jeans, dismissing her question with a shrug, "I took care of a problem."

"What problem?" Elena asked, trying to reach for him again when he stepped away from her. She winced in hurt at his actions.

"None of your concern." Stefan snapped back, really needing to go and not having the patience to tell Elena everything like she always demanded. For once, this had absolutely nothing to do with her, and he wouldn't waste precious time explaining to her when he could be looking for Caroline.

"Stefan." Elena's voice was wounded, eyes wide with hurt at his tone. She asked again, sure that he would give into her and tell her what she wanted to know when she used her doe eyes to look vulnerable, "What problem?"

"I don't have time for this." Stefan narrowed his eyes at Elena, not moved at all by the way she was looking at him, he knew that she was only trying to manipulate him into giving into her. He wouldn't. He wasn't in love with her anymore so it wouldn't work on him now. He was well and truly moved on from Elena Gilbert.

He didn't stick around to see what she would do or say to try and get him to stay. He just walked away, ignoring Elena's calls of his name.

He pulled out his phone and called Caroline. He tapped his fingers against his thigh as he waited for her to pick up. After a few torturously long moments he finally heard her voice. He didn't even wait for her for say anything he just jumped in, "Where are you?"

Caroline balked at his tone and couldn't help but snap, "You haven't cared where I've been in the last four months so why do you suddenly want to know _now_?"

"Caroline, this is important." Stefan's voice was a plead, needing her to just forget her anger for the moment and let him know where she is, "I need to know where you are right now."

"Why?" Caroline asked, not willing to just give into Stefan now that he appeared to want to know her again. She'd been fooled by him once, and she would not let herself be fooled by him again, "I'm not with Enzo nor do I know where he is."

"I know where he is and this has nothing to do with him." Stefan replied instantly, hating the fact that he'd been a complete and utter jerk these past few months. Once she wouldn't have even hesitated in telling him, once he would have known what her damn school schedule was, not now, now he had no idea what was going on in her life and he hated it.

"If that's not the reason than why?" Caroline clutched the phone tighter, her voice cracking as she repeated, "Just tell me _why_?"

"Caroline..." Stefan swallowed back the lump in his throat at her tone, his heart aching at the pain he had put her through. He would do anything, _anything,_ to take away the hurt he'd caused her. He just wanted his best friend back. But he also needed to make sure she would be alive to continue hating him.

"No, Stefan." Caroline snapped, anger and hurt raising the tone of her voice, "Tell me why, after months of pretending that I don't exist you suddenly demand to know where I am."

"Can't we speak about this in person?" Stefan pleaded, if they spoke face to face then he could be with her and protect her.

"We can." Caroline agreed.

Stefan's hopes were raised, only to be dashed a moment later.

Caroline's voice was firm as she added, "But first you have to tell me why this is so urgent."

Stefan opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. He wanted to tell her _so bad,_ but he didn't know whether he should or not.

Caroline sighed in disappointment, "I'm hanging up now."

"No!" Stefan gripped his phone, his voice shaking with fear, "Please don't hang up, Caroline." All he could hear was the sound of her breathing, and he listened for a moment before admitting to her, "You're in danger."

"From who?" Caroline asked.

Stefan couldn't really answer that seeing as he killed Tripp and two of his men to keep her safe. He took a deep breath before repeating, "You are in danger, Caroline."

"From _who_ , Stefan?" Caroline echoed her words, not telling Stefan anything until he told her who wanted to harm her.

Stefan hesitated for a few more moments before reluctantly telling her, "Tripp and his men."

"Because of Ivy?" Caroline asked in confusion. She was sure she had done nothing to throw suspicion on herself despite the fact that she couldn't enter Mystic Falls.

"Yeah..." Stefan didn't sound very convincing to his own ears and he was sure that it didn't to Caroline either as she knew him better than anyone else.

Caroline knew that Stefan wasn't telling her the whole truth, but instead of demanding that he tell her right now she would just wait for their face to face conversation. She blew out an annoyed breath before finally telling him where she was, "I'm at the border waiting to see my mom."

That was way too close to potential danger for Stefan. He all but ran the rest of the way to his car, telling Caroline in his most demanding voice, "Get away from the border, Caroline. It's not safe."

"Don't you think you're being a little over-dramatic?" Caroline asked, never expecting to say those words to Stefan of all people; Damon yes, Stefan no.

"No." Stefan replied instantly, his voice turning pleading as he begged her, "Get away from the border, Caroline."

"Fine. I'm walking away." Caroline told him as she took several steps away from the invisible border, shaking her head at the ridiculousness of her actions, "Happy now?"

"Not until I'm there with you." Stefan replied, pushing his foot down on the gas a little harder as he sped his way to her.

"See you when you get here." Caroline then disconnects their call.

 

* * *

 

Caroline wrapped her arms around her middle, a frown creasing her brow as she looked over at her home town that she could no longer enter. She just wanted to go back home, sleep in her own bed, and walk through the town that meant so much to her.

She had so many worries piling on top of other worries. She constantly worried about her mom despite her living in a town that no supernatural creature could enter. She worried about her friends, and how they were slowly but surely drifting apart from each other. Despite everything, she was worried about Stefan. He sounded really concerned over the phone and like he was truly afraid that something would happen to her.

She still wanted to know why he was so convinced that she was in danger. She hadn't heard that level of caring in his voice for such a long time that it brought a warmth to her. Perhaps Stefan still cared about her after all.

She heard the sound of a car engine nearby. She walked over to the side of the road, waiting for Stefan to come to her, which would be any moment now. Within minutes he came speeding towards her, his car screeching to a halt next to her.

Stefan jumped out of his car and ran over to Caroline. He pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her neck. He breathed her in, sliding his fingertips through her hair as he reassured himself that she was alive and in his embrace.

She was here.

She was safe.

She was with him.

That was all he cared about right at this moment. He would not be leaving her side for the rest of the day, he would be making sure that she stayed safe, and what better way to protect her then right by her side.

Caroline was shocked by the way Stefan clutched her so close to him, she was unsure where to place her hands so she ended up awkwardly rubbing her palm against his back. Before he left he was not exactly one for spontaneous hugs of affections, she always pulled him into one and he hardly ever initiated one.

Stefan held her for as long as he could, needing the chance to touch her and breathe in her scent to reassure himself. He had lost her twice in the last couple of days and both times she died they had been fighting. He just wanted to relish in the feel of Caroline Forbes in his arms for as long as possible.

Caroline finally relaxed in his embrace now that it seemed that he was unwilling to let her go. She rest her head against his and soaked in the feeling of being wrapped in Stefan Salvatore again. It was wonderful to feel close to him again but they had issues they needed to talk through. She slid her hand up his back to cup his neck, stroking her fingers against him as she reminded him in a low murmur, "We need to talk, Stefan."

Stefan tightened his hold on her, releasing a shaky breath onto her neck, "I know."

Caroline pulled away from him, her blue eyes wide and searching, her hands dragging down from his neck to rest on his chest, "I deserve to have some answers."

Stefan furrowed his brow, his green eyes pained at the hurt he could so easily read in her gaze, "You do, Caroline." He moved his hand to curl around her forearm, brushing her skin with his thumb as his gaze turned sincere, "You deserve so much more than just answers. I owe you the biggest apology." He raised his other hand to cup her cheek, "You are my best friend... and I abandoned you when we both needed each other the most."

"I agree with you there." Caroline blinked back the tears in her eyes, clutching her fingers into the material of his shirt, her eyes imploring his to tell her the truth, "What I want to know is why! Why did you feel the need to leave without so much as a goodbye? Why did you ignore my existence and never even bother listening to my messages?"

"Because if I had listened to even one of your messages," Stefan admitted to her quietly, keeping his thumb brushing against her cheek as his eyes locked with her tearful blue ones, "I would have come straight back to you."

"Why is that such a bad thing?" Caroline cried, not understanding what the problem was. She would have loved to have had him by her side for those months that she felt so alone.

"Caroline..." Stefan hated that he appeared to be causing her more pain, but he also knew that they needed to have this talk. He just hoped that there would be a tomorrow so that he would never have to repeat this conversation again.

"Just tell me!" Caroline cried out, a pleading look on her face, her fingers clutching desperately at his shirt, pulling him even closer to her.

Stefan swallowed as he gazed into her hauntingly beautiful blue eyes, "Caroline, um, look. When Damon was gone, I, um... I pushed you away."

"Yeah, I know, Stefan." Caroline clenched her jaw, her eyes hardening as she felt the pain of his abandonment again, "You pushed everyone away. It's kind of what you do."

"But I pushed you away the most." Stefan took a step closer to her, barely any room left between them now, "I knew that you were the one person who would sit with me and let me cry, and I didn't want to cry anymore, so I had to push you away... _the most_."

Caroline sucked in a breath, finally having the reason he left her behind. It still hurt, that kind of pain doesn't go away easily, but she understood the why now, "Thank you for saying that."

Stefan shifts awkwardly, realizing just how close he is to Caroline. He opened his mouth to say something, but seeing the small smile on her lips and the sparkle returning to her eyes, he found himself lost for words.

Caroline's eye's dropped to his lips, and as a desire to kiss him filled her she decided to step out of his arms. She tucked a curl behind her ear, licking her lips as she searched for something to say. She heard her phone beep with a text so she checked it, "Well, my mom's not coming."

Stefan shook himself out of the daze she'd put him in, and tried to focus on the task at hand. He still needed to keep Caroline safe as it wasn't the end of Tuesday yet.

He held his hand out for her to take, smiling at the small hesitation she had before slipping her hand into his, "I'll drive you back to Whitmore and we can go and have a coffee." Seeing the amused look on her face he couldn't help but grin, "Or, you know, it's you and me, so alcohol."

Caroline shook her head and giggled, tugging him over to his car, "You're lucky that I didn't bring my car because I needed the walk."

"Me and my car are at your service." Stefan grinned down at Caroline, his heart skipping at the sweet giggles coming from her, a sound he thought she would never have in his presence again.

"Shut up." Caroline laughed as she got in the passenger side.

Stefan couldn't help the width of his grin. He had saved Caroline, he hoped and prayed, and she appeared to have thawed towards him after their little talk.

 

* * *

 

Stefan's eyes fluttered open, his eyes stinging from the sweat or blood in them. His chest was tight from where the seat belt held him in the upturned car. He turned to the side, expecting to see Caroline hanging upside down beside him, but his eyes opened wide in terror at the empty space next to him.

"Caroline!" Stefan called out her name, his fingers ripping his seat belt in two making him fall to the glass covered ground. He noticed that the windscreen was completely shattered, she must have gone through it. He scrambled out of the car, uncaring of the cuts the glass left in his skin, frantically screaming her name over and over again, his heart ripping to shreds at the silence that answered him.

He looked all around for any sign of Caroline, thankful that it was still light out so that he could see her easier. He saw in the grass to the left of him a flash of blonde hair, so he vamped over, stopping short at the invisible barrier as the gunshot wound his father gave him appeared. His eyes widened in horror as he took a step back, his mind in overdrive. _How long has she been there? Oh god she's over the border. I need to get to her._

Stefan braced himself before stepping over the border, crying out as his wound opened once again. He didn't care, he just needed to get to Caroline. He pushed through the pain to reach her as quick as he possibly could, each step feeling torturously close to his own death as the magic was sucked from his body.

He fell to his knees beside her, ready to put his arm around her waist to carry her when he noticed her flawless skin and unmoving chest. He had been relieved that her skin wasn't grey, but it suddenly occurred to him that she wasn't a vampire anymore. She's crossed the border so she's human, and human Caroline was smothered to death by Katherine.

He reached for her eyelid, pushing it up slightly so that he could see her eyes, he cried out in despair at the petechial hemorrhaging in her eyes. She was gone. He collapsed against her, sobbing brokenly on her chest, clutching her body to him as he lost himself to his grief.

Stefan completely forget about his own wound. All he could see and feel was Caroline's dead body, nothing else could penetrate his heart ache. He had lost her again.

It didn't even occur to him that he would be joining her soon.

 

* * *

 

_"If I could turn back time, If I could find a way, I'd take back those words that hurt you, and you'd stay."_

Stefan cried out as he sat up, clutching his chest and the lingering pain of the gunshot wound. His face was wet with tears, and he couldn't bare to turn his head to the alarm clock and see those damning letters mocking him. He and Caroline should both be dead. He followed her over the border and he was too heartbroken to move from her side. They had both died on that particular Tuesday.

But the day still started over. Caroline died and he died and the day still repeated. Just what the hell did he have to do to keep her safe and stop repeating this freaking day.

He buried his face in his hands as he sobbed out, "I really wish Bonnie was here."

She would know what to do, she would steer him in the right direction, and do anything in her power to help him. There had to be a reason he kept repeating the same day and yet no matter how he had changed it Caroline still died.

He was going to go crazy having to watch Caroline die, over and over again.

He needed to make it stop.

It had to stop.

But... _how_?


	4. Time For Some Help

****Stefan was driving over to skull bar needing to speak with Liv. With Bonnie still trapped in the prison world Liv was the only other witch that could be powerful enough to help him. He had tried killing everyone that was involved in killing Caroline but that hadn't worked. Yesterday both he and Caroline died after a car accident.

He was starting to get the feeling that he was just cursed. Cursed to watch Caroline die as he failed to save her, over and over again. What was happening to him was not normal, and he was clinging to hope that it was magical and therefore a witch could hopefully help him.

It was killing him to watch Caroline die again and again with him powerless to save her. He might as well be in hell as it was his worst nightmare playing on repeat.

He got out of his car and walked inside skull bar. He released a sigh of relief to see Liv working behind the bar. He walked over there with a determined stride, calling out to her as he reached the bar, "Liv?"

Liv looked up at Stefan, frowning at him as she went over to him, "What do you want?"

"I need to talk to you." Stefan didn't particularly like Liv, still feeling resentment towards her and her brother for stopping the spell just before his brother could make it through, while another part of him was grateful for her bringing himself, Elena, Ric, and Tyler back.

"You know that I don't owe you anything, right?" Liv hated being used by him and his friends whenever they needed something witchy.

Stefan glared at her and swallowed down his response about how she did owe him something for not bringing Damon back. Elena may have used Luke to keep seeing Damon, but Stefan had not taken advantage of the wrong they'd done to him. He gritted his teeth and asked, "I just need to speak with you."

Liv narrowed her eyes at Stefan, studying his expression carefully. He looked both angry and desperate. She blew out a breath and nodded, "Okay. I'll hear you out."

Stefan smiled in relief. He was glad that he hadn't had to resort to desperate and threatening measures. He walked over to a nearby table and waited for Liv to join him.

Liv sat at the table, placing two glasses in front of them and filling them up to the top before placing the bottle on the table. She picked up her glass, snorting at Stefan's raised eyebrow, as she replied, "I have a feeling we need alcohol for this conversation."

Stefan laughed humorlessly reaching for his own glass, "It'll definitely help." He knocked his back in one go, wincing at the burn in his throat which was a welcome relief from the burn in his heart.

"So..." Liv swallowed her own in one go before pouring them another, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

Stefan stared into his glass for a moment, trying to think how to tell Liv what had been happening to him. Even for them it was rather fantastical and unbelievable. She would probably think he was crazy, hell he was half afraid that he _was_ crazy, or that he was dead and in hell reliving his worst fear.

Liv tapped her fingers against the table in annoyance, finally snapping at him, "I don't have all day, Stefan." She fixed him with a glare and added, "Either you spit out what you want to say or I'm going back to work."

Stefan gritted his teeth, irritated at Liv rushing him. He took a deep calming breath, resisting the urge to throttle her and finally found his words, "Today... is my fourth Tuesday."

Liv tilted her head and let out a very in-eloquent, "Huh?"

Stefan would laugh at her expression if not for the permanent cloud of despair and grief that clung to his very being. He couldn't laugh when Caroline would not live to see another day. Liv was his desperate attempt to try and figure it out, "I have been reliving this day over and over again for the last four days."

Liv took her glass and knocked it back. She didn't disbelieve Stefan, his expression was full of the same pain and grief that had twisted it when Damon didn't make it back from the other side. His eyes told her all she had to know and she asked him straight, "Who dies? Is it Damon again?"

Stefan's mouth opened in surprise, a shocked breath leaving him as he asked, "How did you know?"

"Your face told me." Liv crossed her arms across the table, sympathy softening her eyes for a moment, "I can read the grief on you. And I can see that it's fresh." With that her expression hardened again, all business as she repeated, "So who dies?"

"Caroline." Stefan could barely choke out the word, his heart feeling like one big open wound that was never going to heal, only grow bigger and more painful with each death of Caroline's he had to go through, "Caroline dies. Every time I relive this day she ends up dead in my arms."

Liv could see Stefan's heartbreak clearly, he was just as devastated as Caroline had been when he had died. She knew that they cared for each other deeply and that they were pretty much secretly in love with each other. It must be torture for him to have to relive her death over and over again.

Stefan rubbed his hand over his eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay, his voice giving them away as he asked her in desperation, "Can you help me?" He lifted his hand away from his eyes to beg her directly, a fine sheen of water swimming in his eyes, "Help her."

Liv was taken aback by the sheer agony in his gaze. She couldn't refuse him, despite everything that's happened, she just couldn't turn him away when he was so broken. She nodded at him, "I'll help you... I can't guarantee that I'll have the answer but I'll help."

"That's all I ask." Stefan tried to reign in his runaway emotions but it was hard. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take, and he was scared that his hopes will be raised only to be devastated again when Caroline dies.

"Obviously we are on a clock here." Liv needed to know how long they had before something happened to Caroline, "What time does she usually... um, die?" She wished that she could ask more delicately than that but unfortunately there was no easy way to ask when someone would die, "Is it around the same time everyday? And have you ever made it close to Wednesday?"

Stefan pushed down his grief, locking it away in his mind so that he was able to talk about it without breaking down, "I'm not sure. I don't know the specific times." He was too lost in pain to remember something trivial such as the time, "I think... I think the latest we've made it is late afternoon maybe even early evening."

"Okay." Liv pushed her chair back and stood up. She abruptly turned around heading back towards the bar.

"Where are you going?" Stefan cried out, angry that she was just walking away from him after he confided in her about what was happening, "We have to save Caroline!"

"We will." Liv turned her head to reply, narrowing her eyes briefly at the anger in his gaze before she shook it off. She could understand why he was quick to anger right now. She softened her face briefly to reassure him, "I need to get off work."

"Ohh." Stefan released a relieved breath, slumping back onto his chair as he tried to battle the raging emotions within him.

He finally had someone that could hopefully tell him what was happening to him and Caroline. He had the tiniest shred of hope that he could finally save her.

He just had to breathe and try hard not to fall apart.

He poured himself another full glass and swallowed it in one.

He really wanted to finish the whole damn bottle but he had to remain sober for Caroline.

 

* * *

 

"So, she's died at Tripp's cabin, outside Whitmore, and across the border?" Liv asked after Stefan gave her a more detailed description of what had happened once they got to her dorm room.

"Yes." Stefan jostled his leg up and down, wanting to get past the explaining and move on to finding a solution.

"And no matter how you've changed the day she still dies?" Liv asked for clarification, wanting to have all the facts at her disposal before she did any magic.

"Yes!" Stefan answered through gritted teeth, his irritation growing that she wasn't as urgent as he felt she should be seeing as Caroline's life was in imminent danger.

Liv shot him a glare at his tone, annoyed that even though she had agreed to help him he was still anxious for her to hurry up. Though what he thought she could do she didn't know. She didn't know why he kept reliving the same day, and with the short amount of time she had before something might happen to Caroline anything she tried would just be a hail Mary action.

"Can you do something?" Stefan asked anxiously, wringing his hands together as he waited with held breath for what she would say. God he hoped she could help.

"I can try." Liv shrugged her shoulders helplessly, trying to remind him that she didn't hold all the answers, "I don't know why this is happening to you. Plus I've never heard about someone reliving the same day before." She threw her hands up, her voice turning annoyed, "I'm flying blind here, Stefan, so gimme a break."

Stefan took a deep calming breath, in through his nose and out through his mouth, trying to cool his temper knowing that if he lost it he would be no help to Caroline. Once he was calmed down sufficiently, he closed his eyes and nodded his head at Liv, "I know. I'm sorry, okay. It's just... it's just..."

"It's Caroline." Liv answered knowingly, a small sympathetic smile on her lips, "I understand. Just give me breathing room and I'll try my best to help you."

"Okay." Stefan released on a breath, smiling a strained smile at her as he tried to bite his tongue.

Liv knew that was about the best she could get out of Stefan so she closed her eyes and tried to forget his presence. She started to chant, at first barely in a whisper before gradually getting louder and louder.

Stefan sat up straight as Liv appeared to be doing a spell. He clenched his hands together and watched her anxiously as her face twisted into a grimace. He wasn't sure whether it was normal or not, or even just _what_ she was actually doing but something was better than nothing at this point.

Liv's eyes were moving rapidly back and forth behind her closed eyes. Her lips repeating the same words again and again, an eery electrical feeling saturating the room, the usual feeling Stefan felt whenever magic was performed. Humans couldn't detect the subtle shift in the atmosphere but supernatural creatures could. It was a handy sense to have if you were ever trying to avoid a run in with a witch.

Liv suddenly opened her eyes wide, a gasp escaping her lips as her body shuddered. She had to take a minute to get her bearings, a feeling of dread overcoming her, knowing that she couldn't save Caroline. Not today.

"What? What did you..." Stefan frowned in confusion, not sure what she actually did, "See? Or find out?"

Liv turned her gaze to Stefan's desperately anxious face, licking her lips to try and bring some moisture back to her dry mouth. She took a quick intake of breath before revealing, "You've been cursed." She couldn't help but feel sorry for Stefan. She wouldn't wish this particular curse on anyone as it was dark and nasty and had the intent of driving the person that had been cursed mad.

"Cursed?" Stefan exclaimed, shocked at the news but at the same time elated to finally know what was the cause of what had been happening. His next question was obvious but he needed to know the answer, "What is the curse? And what do I do to stop it?"

"You and Caroline have both been cursed." Liv's eyes were grave, her tone serious as she told Stefan, "To break the curse you have to admit your-"

 

* * *

 

_"If I could time back time, if I could find a way, I would take back those words that hurt you, and you'd stay."_

"NOO!" Stefan screamed as his eyes shot open. He sat up in bed, panting with rage as he slammed his fists into the bed.

He was so close, so _fucking_ close, to finally knowing how to stop this nightmare. But the day restarted which meant that Caroline died and this time he didn't even know how she died because he was with Liv. He almost knew how to break the curse but just before Liv could tell him the day repeated.

Now all he knew was that he and Caroline were cursed – him to relive the day and her to die – and he had no idea how to stop it because of this stupid cursed day.

He had to admit something but _what?_ What could he possibly have to admit to break this curse? And was it just him that had to admit something or was it Caroline or even the both of them. How could he ever figure it out when each day he had a short span of time before Caroline died.

How could he ever know?

He had hundreds of secrets, atrocities even, locked away inside his head. Just which horrible thing did he have to confess. And was it even one of his sins? It could be something benign, something barely worth noting about himself, something that had little importance and was not the most important thing in the world.

Caroline's life and his sanity depended on him finding that out.

But... how?

 

* * *

 

Stefan couldn't sit alone in his motel room any longer. He couldn't torture himself thinking about whatever thing he had to confess. He was out of ideas. And he was full of despair.

He only saw one way out of this mess. One way that he hadn't tried yet. Something that may work or may not but damn it all to hell he had to try. Caroline was worth the sacrifice. If it worked and she lived he would gladly accept her hate as long as she was alive to hate him.

He was in his car and he was speeding away. Trying to get as much distance between him and Caroline as possible in the hope that with them not in the same place hopefully the curse wouldn't work. He didn't know for sure that it would work but it was worth a shot. He would do anything at this point to make sure she stayed alive.

Even if he never saw her again.

It would kill him, and he would ache for her like a part of himself was missing – just as he had this summer – but if it actually became Wednesday and she was still alive than it would be worth it. He would stay away from her for the rest of their eternity, he would let her hate him again for seemingly abandoning her when nothing could be further from the truth. He would let her go from his life so that he could protect her. So that she could actually have a life to live, even if it didn't involve him.

To keep her alive he would leave her.

Forever.

He looked in his rear view mirror, watching the scenery change the further he got away from her, his heart squeezing painfully in his chest as sadness overwhelmed him, tears soon filling and then leaking from his eyes. He let them run free as he sent one last agonizing thought to Caroline.

_Goodbye, Caroline_

 

* * *

 

Stefan glanced over at the clock on his dashboard, the pit in his stomach easing somewhat at the numbers that stared back at him.

_20:00_

This was the latest time that he had ever made it to. There was only four hours left in the day and it appeared that he would make it passed this day and onto the next. He was thousands and thousands of miles away from her by now having driven since he left his motel room this morning. He had absolutely no idea where he was, having paid no attention to the scenery as he was too focused on his misery at leaving Caroline.

It seemed he was right. He would have to spend forever away from his best friend in order to keep her safe. His heart tore completely in two, shattering with the depth of his despair, the thought of never seeing his beautiful kind and happy best friend again killed him.

He didn't know how he would survive eternity without her bright smile to lighten his days, but he would have to, because to see her again would lead to her death and seeing her lovely face or being blessed with her joyful laughter wasn't worth her life.

He sobbed silently as he kept on driving. Trying to find a way to somehow get used to the longing in his chest for the second best friend he would never see again.

Eternity just got so much more depressing and long than it had ever been for him before.

 

* * *

 

_"If I could time back time, if I could find a way, I would take back those words that hurt you, and you'd stay."_

Stefan couldn't even open his eyes, the hopelessness and the despair keeping him on this bed. He didn't want to admit that he'd failed again. That leaving Caroline – his one big hope – had proved useless. That being pretty much on the other side of the country didn't stop this curse they were under. This curse he had no idea how to even stop.

Finally he sat up, and with a mixture of rage and heartbreak he screamed into the empty room, " _What do you want from me?_ "

He cried helplessly into his hands, a hoarse whimper escaping him, full of the helpless despair that was his constant, "What do I have to do to save her?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN – What do you guys think? They are under a curse but before Stefan could hear how to stop it the day repeated. Will he ever be able to save her?


	5. Searching For Hope

Stefan was in hell.

He was being driven mad by despair and he had no idea what to do. He had no idea how to save Caroline. He had no clue how he was supposed to find an answer when he only had the one day to find out. He didn't know how long he could live like this anymore. He desperately needed to see Caroline but he was terrified of watching her die again. Every time he saw the light leave her eyes it killed him.

He spent every day in a state of grief stricken despair. He was utterly heartbroken and felt like he was falling deeper and deeper into a state of depression. Depression for a vampire was a very dangerous thing because your emotions are heightened and you felt the pain and hopelessness more intensely than a human. It took all the strength he had not to turn it off, because he had no idea if he would wake up humanity intact or a bloodthirsty ripper. If he became the ripper without a repeating do over than Caroline was doomed because the other part of him would not be searching for a way to save her.

He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He didn't know what to do. He truly couldn't live like this forever. He had to find a way to save her but he didn't know how.

He could scream his every sin into the night air in the hope that just one of them was the key to saving Caroline. But what if he needed to confess to somebody? If it was it could either be someone he knew or a complete stranger. How was he ever going to find it out?

Stefan let his face fall into his hands as the hopelessness made tears fill his eyes.

He was in hell.

 

* * *

 

After wallowing in despair for longer than he cared to admit Stefan finally left the motel room. He didn't really know what he was going to do but anything was better than letting his grief destroy him.

What he needed to do was research curses and hope that he could find something like his own in the books. He didn't want to ask someone for their help as they would only forget it when Tuesday repeated again, so he was just going to do this on his own. Alaric had classes so that should buy him time to snoop through his office for the books he would need. It's not like Ric would miss them as they would be returned to his office when they day reset, and it would be like they were never even gone in the first place.

 

* * *

 

Stefan was back in his motel room with a mound of books surrounding him that he had stolen from Ric. He was keeping a mental catalogue of what he had read so far so that when the day inevitably started again he would remember what he'd already read and only take the books that he hadn't gotten to yet.

So far there was nothing. Not one single mention of a curse that could cause you to relive the same day over and over again. He wasn't too disappointed as he already expected to find nothing at first. Liv had never heard of it when he told her and while she didn't know everything she had been taught magic since she was young so there was more chance that she might have heard of something like it. That wasn't the case though, but after whatever spell she cast she knew what the curse was the day just restarted before she could tell him.

Such was his life right now.

He _almost_ had the answer. He _almost_ saved her. He _almost_ had her forgiveness before the day reset erasing any progress he had made with her.

That was him alright. Stefan Salvatore, eternally _almost_ happy.

He groaned at the direction of his thoughts. Now was not the time to have an existential crisis, to bemoan the depressing state of his life and the fact that he never got the girl or kept an ounce of happiness in his life.

Caroline was the only one left who cared solely about his happiness and would have done _anything_ to make sure he smiled and laughed and actually enjoyed his life. He had repaid her by throwing their wonderful friendship away after Damon died.

Caroline Forbes was his _best friend_ and his savior and his cheerleader, and he threw her friendship away like it meant nothing to him when in fact her friendship meant absolutely _everything_ to him.

He needed to fix them. He hated that he'd hurt her. It broke him that whenever she looked at him she saw just another person that had carelessly cast her aside. He never wanted her to feel those insecurities that hid away the amazing girl she truly was inside. It was his honor and pleasure that he got to see her grow from that insecure girl into the strong, confident, and selfless woman she was today.

A pang of longing hit him so suddenly that he actually gasped. He hadn't seen her or talked to her in a few days – what for her would have only been barely a day, but for him was much longer – and he missed her so achingly bad that he was reaching for his phone before he even realized he'd moved.

He was dialing her number before he was even prepared to hear the sound of her voice, his mind a whirlwind as he frantically tried to think of what to say to her, coming up with nothing as she answered, his vocal chords closing at the much missed sound of her voice.

"Hello? Earth to Stefan!" Caroline's angry voiced snapped down the line, the annoyance coming across clearly.

Stefan didn't care how angry Caroline sounded, the sound of her voice was the best thing he'd heard in _days_ and he could happily listen to her speak to him for hours on end without him even saying a word back.

"If you don't say anything I'm going to assume that this is a butt dial and I'm going to hang up." Caroline threatened, blowing out an annoyed breath as she pulled the phone away from her ear.

Stefan let out a heartbreaking sob disguised as a laugh. He slammed his eyes shut to try and keep the tears at bay. He was so _sick_ of crying. He was so done with the ever present weight of his grief crushing his chest.

"Stefan...?" Caroline's voice softened with worry, the depth of her caring for him even when she was justifiably mad at him almost broke him in two. Her hesitantly whispered question let the dam break and his eyes overflowed, "Is everything okay?"

"I don't deserve you." Stefan choked out, his hand pressing into his eye in a desperate attempt to stem the flow of tears, his heart squeezing painfully in his chest, the sound of her voice finally breaking something deep within him and causing him to fall apart at the seams.

Caroline's heart twisted in her chest at the sound of his pain. She was upset and heartbroken at the way he'd treated her recently but she couldn't just listen to the sound of his sobs without wanting to fix that. She was angry with him but he was still her best friend, and she cared about him so much that it had been torture to not help him with his grief. He obviously needed her now for whatever reason and she would be there for him. She could go back to being angry with him tomorrow, today she would do what she wanted to do all along, and that was to soothe him through his pain, "Where are you?"

It took Stefan a moment for her words to penetrative his grief, when it did he sucked in a breath of surprise and on instinct alone he responded, "You don't have to come, Caroline. I'll be okay."

"I know." Caroline replied softly, a tone he hadn't heard in what felt like forever that his heart actually skipped a beat, until her next words completely took his breath away and made his heart start to race wildly within his chest, "I don't _have_ to do anything for you, but I want to. Let me be there for you, Stefan."

"Caroline..." Stefan choked her name out, unable to understand how he ever deserved a friend like her. The answer was he didn't... she was way too good for him.

"Where are you, Stefan?" Caroline asked again, her voice firm and unyielding. She wouldn't take no for an answer.

Stefan knew he should be stronger and not give in but the truth was he missed her so much that he needed to see her. So he gave in easily and told her where he was.

"I'll be there soon." Caroline replied, her voice turning playfully threatening, "Don't you dare even _think_ about going anywhere or I will hunt you down and make you suffer."

Stefan chuckled as he finally hung up. He felt infinitely lighter now that Caroline was on her way over and he could see her again.

A real smile curled his lips for the first time in days.

 

* * *

 

Stefan took all the books that he stole from Ric and hid them under the bed so that Caroline wouldn't see them. He didn't want her to ask any questions if she spotted them because he didn't know how to answer them.

He paced the room, waiting with eager impatience for Caroline to get there. After not seeing her for a couple of days, especially where she died with him having no idea how, he really needed to see her in the flesh. Though he had no clue what he would say to her as to why he was upset. She had no idea that she was cause, that he was broken from the fact he kept watching her die over and over again, and he had no idea how to stop it.

There was a knock at the door, and his heart sped up as he made his way over. He opened the door slowly, his eyes drinking in the sight of her, from her blonde hair, to her lovely face, and down her soft womanly body. He swallowed desperately, trying to get some moisture back into his suddenly dry throat, the vision of her in front of him taking his breath away. He wasn't sure why she affected him so much, maybe it was because he missed her so much. He clung on desperately to that thought, ignoring the way he noticed every inch of her, much more than just a friend should.

He just missed her, that's all it was.

Caroline gazed back at Stefan in concern, her eyes searching his face for how he was feeling, frowning even more at the devastation she could see in his eyes. Just what had him so upset? Damon was back, so he should be happy, that was what had turned him into an asshole in recent months. He wanted his brother back and he couldn't deal with the fact that Damon had died to bring him back. An obvious case of survivors guilt. So now that his brother was alive again he should be free of the burdens that had been tearing him apart.

She took a step into the room and walked around him. She noticed the half empty bottle of bourbon on the side and shook her head in worry. At the sound of the door closing shut she spun around and asked him, "What's the matter?"

Stefan opened his mouth to answer, floundering as he struggled to come up with anything that would satisfy Caroline. She was his best friend and knew him better than almost anyone so he couldn't really lie to her. She would know.

"Stefan." Caroline said his name softly, a thousand meanings held in just that one word, before he left her he would know what she was asking without saying. They had a language all their own, almost like they could read each others minds, so in tune with each other they used to be. She hoped that part wasn't lost, despite months of silence and hurt feelings.

"Caroline." Stefan sighed, easily returning to their secret language, his mind brought back to the times where they could have entire conversations with only a few words. He'd never had that with anyone before Caroline. They just got each other, working so well together, and growing closer and closer each day. They had moved from acquaintances, to tentative friends, from mentor to sober sponsor, to best friends in such a small space of time that it almost made his head spin to think of all they'd been through.

Caroline could read his agony in that one word alone. It hurt her deeply in the middle of her chest to hear his pain. She didn't know why he was suddenly showing her his vulnerability now that Damon was alive. It was extremely confusing to her why he was suddenly so open with her. It's what she had been wanting for months, and when she was just about ready to give up on him and their friendship completely he did a one eighty on her.

Stefan gazed over at Caroline again, his eyes taking her in once again, a new awareness overcoming him as he lost himself for a few moments just looking at her. She was beautiful, she was _always_ beautiful, and what made it even more breathtaking was that her inner beauty matched her outer. He stared deeply into her blue eyes, the sheer caring shining back at him took his breath away. She shouldn't still care so much for him after they way he's treated her. She had every right to hate him, and he knew she was more than capable of holding a grudge. So why didn't she? She was angry at him for sure, but she still let him try to explain himself to her. It didn't make sense to him why she didn't just wipe her hands of him and move on.

Caroline could see the storm of emotions behind Stefan's green eyes. He was going through something and she hated having no idea what it was. Months ago she would have been the first person he told about _everything_ that was going on with him – the good, the bad, the ripper – she knew all of it and she never once judged him, just as he never judged her for any of the mistakes she had made.

She closed the distance between them, placing her hand on his arm to comfort him, her eyes tender and sincere, her voice low and concerned, "We are not _us_ again, not even close." At the way his face crumpled, his eyes filling with so much pain it stole her breath for a moment, she rushed to reassure him, "Not yet, anyway. I still care about you, Stefan, and I want to know why you are are in so much pain."

Stefan was both relieved at her words and overcome with pain. It was an olive branch that he wanted to grab onto with both hands but he knew that it would just be forgotten about tomorrow and he wasn't sure how many of these conversations he could go through. Hope for them to be back to the best friends they used to be, only for it to be like it never happened because it didn't, not for Caroline, it was only him who remembered their conversations.

Caroline sensed his warring emotions and sent him an understanding smile, "But if you don't want to tell me that's okay. I'm still here for you. You'll tell me when you're ready."

Stefan was reaching for her before he even had time to think about it. His arms slid around her waist, his face nuzzling into her neck, a shuddering breath of relief left him as he felt her arms come around him to hold him just as tight as he was holding her. He clenched his eyes closed and practically begged her in a pained whimper, "Let me hold you, Caroline. Please just let me hold you."

Caroline had to blink back tears at the barely masked pain lacing his words. She tightened her hold on him, resting her head against his as she let him take whatever comfort he needed from her embrace. Maybe this was the start of their road of healing, and after careful soothing of both of their wounds they could get back to where they were. Even if she wanted more with him she would push those wants and desires down until they were both in a better place emotionally and she would see whether he felt anything like she did back. She thought he might but she couldn't be sure.

Stefan really didn't want to let her go. There was no safer place for her than in the safety of his embrace. Nothing could hurt her within these four walls, especially when she was pressed so closely against him. She was not going anywhere. He guided them over to the bed, releasing her just long enough to lay against his pillows and hold his arms out to her. At her obvious hesitation he jutted his lip out in a pout and pleaded with her, "Please, Caroline. I need you."

Caroline cursed herself for being so weak to give into him, but with his green eyes pleading at her and his voice begging her she couldn't help but give in. Her heart began to race as she walked around to the other side of the bed, slipping her shoes off before she got into bed beside him. It took less than a second for Stefan to pull her against his chest and wrap himself completely around her like a blanket. She threw her arm around his waist and snuggled against him. She wasn't going to think about what this meant, she was just going to relax and enjoy being engulfed in the scent of Stefan Salvatore.

Stefan buried his face in her hair, breathing in the scent that was purely Caroline Forbes and just let himself relax completely. He hoped and prayed with everything inside of him that he would wake up with her still safely encased in his arms and by some divine miracle it would finally be Wednesday.

 

* * *

 

Stefan roused from his slumber, lazily blinking his eyes open as he stretched his arms above his head. He breathed in deeply, smiling at the faint scent of vanilla he could detect in the air, the scent that was all Caroline. He smoothed his hand over the other side of the bed, expecting to meet her warmth flesh, assuming that she rolled off of him as they both slept, but once his fingers met the end of the bed his eyes snapped open in panic.

No Caroline.

He rolled over to check the alarm clock that was the bane of his existence. His heart stopped at the date and time. _19:30 Tuesday._ She wasn't safe. He jumped out of bed, reaching for his phone when he saw a note placed beside it. He picked it up and read it, his heart sinking as fear started to overwhelm him.

_Stefan, I hope you feel better after your sleep. You looked so peaceful that I didn't have the heart to wake you. I've gone back to Whitmore as I can't sleep the day away. Talk to you tomorrow. Caroline X_

Stefan crumpled the note in his hand, letting the crushing feeling of failure take over him. He wallowed for a moment before determination filled him. He had to get to her.

He dropped the note and rushed to the door, needing to get to her as quick as he could so that he could protect her.

_I have to get to her. I have to get to her. I have to get to-_

 

* * *

 

_"If I could turn back time, if I could find a way-"_

Stefan picked up the alarm clock and threw it with force against the wall as he yelled in rage, the clock shattering instantly on impact. He went on a rampage through the room, throwing and breaking everything he could get his hands on before collapsing to his knees as he cried.

Another Tuesday. Another failed attempt to save Caroline's life.

He had to find an answer soon because this was killing him. He couldn't take much more. He didn't know what was worse, seeing her die in front of him, or waking up with no clue how she died just knowing that she had. It was the worst torture he'd ever been through and he needed it to stop.

 _Stop! Just stop!_ Stefan cried into his hands as he begged whatever god there was that listened to damned creatures like him, _save her, please save her. Take me! Just save Caroline._

"Just take me instead." Stefan sobbed, his tear filled eyes looking to the ceiling as he begged out loud, "Save her and have me."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN - I hope you liked it! Poor Stefan, he's in so much pain :'(


	6. One Step Closer

********Stefan was sat down at one of the tables in the back of the library at Whitmore. He was going through the books that he hadn't exactly gotten around to reading yesterday as he had been distracted by Caroline, and by wasting the rest of his day away by sleeping with her nestled in his arms. Major distraction right there, and not one he was going to think about. Nope, not at all, he wasn't thinking about his nose buried in her softest and sweetest scented hair, or the warm body that fitted into his side like a puzzle piece. He was most definitely _not_ thinking about how at peace and content he was when he drifted off, having the best sleep he'd had since falling asleep with Caroline in the back of a car at the Travelers camp after being tortured all day.

Nope, didn't cross his mind at all.

As if the direction of his thoughts had summoned her he heard Caroline's voice calling his name. He looked up at her, his heart picking up speed for some reason he definitely didn't want to get into. His mouth went dry as those blue eyes of hers pierced him straight through to his very soul. He was so lost in taking her in that he completely missed everything that she had said. He wished he could come up with something more eloquent but all that came out of him was a very ineloquent, "Huh?"

Caroline tried to bite down on the smile that wanted to spread across her lips at his very cute and very adorable confused face. She was still angry with him and should not be thinking of Stefan with either of the words cute or adorable. She schooled her features, hiding all her emotions from him, or at least she hoped she was. She glanced at the books in front of him and couldn't help that her eyes widened at the titles, "You're researching curses?"

Stefan looked at her in panic, his mind frantically trying to come up with a plausible explanation. He came up blank.

Caroline took the chair opposite him, her face bright and smiling genuinely at him, her voice the softest he’d heard it in a long time, "You're looking for a way for us to get back into our home?"

"I am." He lied, instantly latching onto the excuse she had unknowingly given him to explain why he was looking through books on curses. He couldn't exactly tell her the real reason he was looking at curses or what he was really searching for.

"I'm surprised Ric gave you these at all as he knows that I've read all of them." Caroline let out an annoyed huff, slamming her hand against the closest book, remembering the days and months of finding absolutely nothing as she read each one cover to cover, "There is nothing in any of these books about how to remove an anti magic barrier. Trust me I've looked."

"Did you find anything about reliving the same day?" Stefan asked in frustration, forgetting for a moment that he shouldn't be saying that to Caroline.

"No, why?" Caroline creased her brow, frowning at Stefan in confusion at his question.

Stefan panicked, annoyed at himself for letting that slip. He forced out a laugh and tried to appear as if he had been joking, "Just kidding. It would be nice if there was a spell or a curse to go back and change a day we wanted to."

Caroline stared at Stefan for a moment longer, deciding whether to believe him or not before she shook off his unusual question, and chuckled as she replied, "We all wish we could go back in time and change things but we can't. We're stuck with our mistakes and wrong decisions."

Stefan prayed to anyone that would listen that what Caroline said wasn't true. He couldn't handle reliving this day if there was no way of fixing it. He was barely surviving as it was, he needed a little bit of hope to carry on. He licked his lips before asking her in a meaningful voice, "Do you really believe that?"

Caroline was taken aback by the seriousness of his face and tone, so she took a moment to really think over his question before she answered, "I don't know. I've learned over the years that anything is possible. Especially as what was once unbelievable to me is now my normal." She shrugged her shoulders, huffing out a laugh as she raised her eyebrows at Stefan, "You're older than me. You have more of an idea whether it's possible or not."

"Yeah..." Stefan forced out a laugh, trying to match Caroline's light tone. He did know it was possible because he was living it every day but he couldn't tell her that. He couldn't tell her that every time they lived this day she died; sometimes in front of him, other times away from him. He didn't want her to walk around knowing that she had Death's scythe above her head ready to strike her down at any moment. The knowledge was almost too much for him to bare so he didn't want to burden her with it, even if she would forget it when Tuesday repeated inevitably again.

But... god he wanted to tell her _so_ bad.

Caroline tapped her fingertips against one of the books, biting into her lip as she gathered her words inside of her before she flicked her eyes up to meet Stefan's. She hesitated for a moment before she asked softly, "Why have you decided to look now? You didn't care about finding a way back home before, so why do you care now?"

It was on the tip of Stefan's tongue to say 'for you' but that would be disingenuous of him. Every single thing that he was doing _was_ for her, but it was all to save her life and not to get their hometown back. Though if he did manage to find a way to save her he would move heaven and earth to give her home back to her. She deserved that, and he would do absolutely anything in his power to give her what she deserves. He just wanted her to be happy. And _alive_.

Caroline frowned at Stefan's silence, she noticed that he was deep in thought and she wondered what he was thinking about. She reached out and placed her hand over his, stroking her thumb over the back of his hand as she repeated her question to him, "Why, Stefan?"

Stefan knew that he had to say something to her so he just blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, "We need to go home, all of us do, so I'm trying to find a way."

Caroline narrowed her eyes at Stefan, searching his eyes for whether or not he was telling the truth. She didn't quite believe him, but she didn't know why he would attempt to lie to her so she let it go for the moment.

She released his hand and then picked up a book from the pile beside him. She rest her cheek on her hand as she opened the book, settling herself in her chair as comfortably as she could before she began to read.

"I thought you said that you'd read them all?" Stefan asked, a smile in his voice as he gazed gratefully at Caroline.

"I have." Caroline replied, not lifting her gaze from the pages in front of her, "But another pair of eyes never hurt..." She bit into her lip, hesitating briefly before saying softly, "Plus, you never know, I might have missed one."

Stefan doubted it, Caroline was organized and efficient, and if she said she read them all then she had definitely been through each book with a fine tooth comb multiple times. She would not have missed a thing. So her staying and helping him brought a brilliant grin to his face. She was here for him.

He looked up from his book to gaze in her direction. Her hair was spilling down the arm her head rested on, and her lips were moving silently as she mouthed the words as she read. His heart warmed as he looked at her, his eyes drinking in the sight of her soft gorgeous features, his mouth curving into an awed smile as he continued to watch her instead of read.

Caroline looked up as she felt Stefan's eyes on her skin like an electric current. Her stomach fluttered wildly as their eyes met, an undercurrent running between them, her breath catching as she became lost in his green green eyes.

Stefan couldn't look away from Caroline's breathtaking blue orbs, his heart starting to race the longer they were caught within each others eyes. He wasn't sure what was happening between them, the feelings that were starting to twist him up inside were very confusing to him. She was his best friend, and he wasn't sure if it was because she kept dying that his feelings were starting to feel different to him, or were they always there simmering just beneath the surface of their friendship.

Caroline finally pulled her eyes away from his, dropping them back to the page in front of her, concentrating hard to ignore the racing of her heart. She couldn't handle having her feelings crushed again, so she pushed them down and tried to ignore the true depth of her emotions for Stefan. To distract herself she asked him even though she already knew what his answer would be, "Anything yet?"

"No, nothing yet." Stefan replied, giving Caroline one last smile before he forced himself to concentrate on his own book and not on her.

He was not going to find anything now that Caroline had joined him with his efforts, but surprisingly enough he didn't care. They were sitting together in companionable silence and that was more than enough for him.

 

* * *

 

Stefan had completely lost track of the time, he was so engrossed in meticulously reading every single word in each book to make sure that he didn't miss a thing that the day had passed him by completely. He glanced over to Caroline, and he had to smile at seeing her as focused as he was. He took a beat to watch her in this unguarded moment, admiring her silently before he broke the quiet surrounding them by saying her name, "Caroline?"

Caroline startled at the unexpected sound of his voice, she had been so lost in her own head that she had tuned out all the world around her. She rubbed her hands over her face to wake herself up from her lethargy before looking over at Stefan, "Hey. Did you find anything?"

"Nope." Stefan smiled as he closed his last book, reaching over for Caroline's book which he also closed, "And I think we've been doing this long enough that we deserve a break."

Caroline pursed her lips to try and hide the smile that threatened to break across her face. She tucked her hair behind her ear, a small smirk turning her lips as she replied, "I didn't get a break in the months that I was looking."

"Now you have me." Stefan smiled widely, leaning over to stroke the back of his hand down her cheek, sighing dreamily at the soft as silk skin beneath his fingers, "And I won't let you burn yourself out."

Caroline's breath stuttered to a stop at the feel of Stefan's hand stroking along her cheek, delicately caressing her skin, making her feel hot with fire wherever he touched her. Their eyes locked together, the tension between them could be cracked with a whip, so charged was the atmosphere around the two of them.

Stefan finally came back to himself enough to realize what he'd been doing, stroking Caroline's face for several electrically charged moments, so he slowly took his hand away from her as he stood up from his chair. His heart was pounding in his chest, and his fingers tingled from where he'd touched her skin.

Caroline took a deep breath to try and calm her racing heart from his electric touch. She pushed out of her chair so that she was standing as well. She raised her arms over her head, stretching out the kinks from sitting in the same position for so long.

Stefan's mouth went dry as he watched her stretch, her abdomen becoming exposed as her top rode up. He forced his eyes away from her and started collecting the books that he brought with him. He kept his eyes down and away from the tantalizing peaks of her alluring flesh that she’d unknowingly showed him.

Caroline picked up the last remaining books and offered, "I'll help you bring them back to Ric's office."

"Thank you." Stefan smiled at her, praying that Ric would still be in class so that he and Caroline could get in and get out without Ric ever being the wiser. He didn't exactly ask for permission to borrow the books after all.

They walked side by side in a comfortable silence, their arms brushing against one another occasionally, causing goosebumps to raise up on each of their skin. They stole glances at each other out of the corner of their eyes as they walked along the hallway together.

Stefan pushed the door to Ric's office open and breathed a sigh of relief that the room was empty. He opened the door fully and led Caroline in to deposit the books where he'd got them from.

Caroline placed her books next to his and moved away to stand in the doorway. She tucked her hair behind her ears and smoothed her hands over her stomach as she hesitated. She was still angry with him, but spending time together doing what they should have been doing all summer helped her take that one step closer to eventually forgiving him.

Stefan didn't want their time to be over so soon, he wanted to spend as much time with her as he could and he also wanted to keep her close to him. He needed to keep her safe, but he was also dreading the moment that the curse happened and Caroline would be killed right in front of him again. He hadn't confessed anything to anyone so it was still there, haunting him like the literal devil on his back.

"I, um, better go." Caroline hooked her thumb over her shoulder, sending him a small smile as she turned to go. Her stomach was in knots as she hoped and prayed that Stefan would chase her for once. She needed him to do a little running after all the chasing that she had done over the summer.

Stefan didn't even hesitate, he took a few steps to close the distance between them, wrapping his hand around her arm to give her a gentle tug, turning her around to face him, his eyes pleading with her as he asked, "Stay?"

Caroline was immediately taken back to that night in the woods, when she had asked him the very same question, she'd _begged_ him, and he just walked away from her. She could feel the lingering pain curl in her gut, wanting her to do the same to him as he'd done to her.

Stefan could tell which direction her thoughts had led her to, that stupid night where he'd thrown it all away and walked away from her like the idiot he was. He was so sorry for what he'd done, and he wished with all that he had that he could take it back but he couldn't. They just had to move forward together. Hopefully to a future where they would finally get past this damn day.

He took another step closer to her, so that their chests were brushing against one another, his hands came up to cradle her face, his thumbs caressing her skin as he told her, "I am more sorry than you will ever know that I walked away from you. Trust me when I say that it will _never_ happen again."

Caroline had to swallow at the intensity on his face, her heart picking up pace at the sincerity she could read in his eyes. He meant what he was saying, she just wasn't sure if she could trust him yet. She reached out, placing her hands at his waist, clenching her fingers in his shirt, her voice a hoarse whisper as she replied, "One step at a time."

Stefan dropped his head to rest against hers, smiling wonderfully wide at her, his fingers stroking her cheeks tenderly, nodding against her as he agreed, "One step at a time."

Caroline smiled at him, it was small and barely even a smile but it meant more than if her whole face was beaming. She flicked her eyes up to meet his, and her breath caught in her throat at how close to her he actually was. She swallowed, her gaze dropping to his lips before she caught on to what she was thinking about doing and she took a giant step away from him and rushed out of Ric's office.

Stefan was frozen where he was. He was sure that they were about to... No. No, he must have been mistaken. They had always been friends, the best of friends, but nothing more or nothing less. He ignored the pang of disappointment that he felt, and he followed her out of the office. She was just outside, so not wanting it to be awkward he asked her spontaneously, "Let's go and have a drink like we use to."

Caroline felt her stomach clench at the idea, wanting so much to take him up on it, but with how she had almost leaned in to kiss him, she thought that her, Stefan, and alcohol, might not be the best idea.

Stefan could see her about to shake her head so he took her hand and began pulling her down the hallway, "I'm not taking no for an answer!"

"I didn't give you an answer." Caroline replied, a chuckle escaping the back of her throat.

"You were about to." Stefan retorted knowingly, a laugh coloring his words.

"Shut up!" Caroline snorted, willingly following Stefan despite only moments ago thinking that it was a bad idea.

Stefan laughed joyously, slipping his fingers between hers, holding her hand securely as he led her out of the building and over to skull bar.

She would forget this tomorrow but he didn't care. Happy memories of him and her were few and far between at the moment, and even though it would probably end in tragedy again he would take it. He needed to spend time with her between all of the dying because he needed to remember just who he was fighting so hard to save and to never _ever_ give up on saving her.

Caroline Forbes.

His best friend. His sober sponsor. His insecure, neurotic, control freak on crack. His kindest and happiest friend. The best person that he knew.

She was worth spending an eternity in misery trying to figure out what he needed to do to save her. After all, his brother had filled his first century and a half with misery, so what was a little more time suffering when the reward would be her life. It was an easy choice to make.

He would fight for her everyday, every single Tuesday he had to relive he would fight tooth and nail for her, until one day she never took her last breath and it finally became Wednesday and beyond. She would finally be safe, and he would do everything in his power to keep her safe for the rest of their lives.

It was a promise that he intended to keep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN - As some of you asked for Stefan to have some hope here it is. Plus, I thought I would give you a break from the angst this time around.


	7. Tuesday Hurts

****It has been a few Tuesdays since Stefan spent the whole day with Caroline. It had been the perfect balm to his grieving heart and had renewed the hope in him that he had been slowly losing which each new death. Since then he had been hitting the books hard, cramming each precious minute of the day before Caroline died with reading all of Ric's books.

She was right. There was absolutely nothing in Ric's book on how to break the curse, either the anti magic barrier or reliving the same day, it was another dead end. But he would keep looking, he would always keep searching for a way to save Caroline. No matter how long it took him he would keep looking.

He had another option, a really long shot but Caroline was worth it. He didn't have Bonnie but there was another Bennett witch out there; Lucy Bennett. He hadn't seen her in four or five years, ever since Katherine had used her to link herself to Elena to prevent them from staking her like he so desperately wanted to at the time. He didn't think she'd be as powerful as Bonnie was, but Lucy was still a Bennett, so she had powerful magic running through her veins.

It was worth a shot.

He was just about to sit down at one of the computers when his phone rang. He pulled his cell out of his pocket and he couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face once he saw who was calling him. Caroline. He eagerly swiped across his phone and answered, "Hey, Caroline. What's up?"

Caroline let out an annoyed breath and declared, "First things first; I'm still mad at you."

"Noted." Stefan repressed a chuckle, the memory of the previous conversations they'd had coming to his mind. She had paved the way for forgiveness in many of the days she had now forgotten. So he knew that whenever they finally moved past this day, and he had apologized profusely with a sufficient amount of grovelling that he would eventually earn her forgiveness. Then he would work on her trust because that was the most important thing between them and he knew that he had ripped that to shreds.

Caroline gritted her teeth and reluctantly replied, "I need your help with something."

"Alright." Stefan agreed instantly. Caroline wanted his help than she had it; no questions asked.

Caroline was taken aback by his quick acceptance. She wasn't sure how he would react after his summer spent trying to move on from all of them, so she was convinced that he would say no and she would have to persuade him or guilt him into helping her. She had her argument all ready and she wasn't sure what to say now that he'd agreed. It threw her. That was the Stefan she was used to, the helpful one that would drop everything if she needed him. She wasn't used to seeing him recently.

Stefan frowned at Caroline's silence, he was not used to her being so quiet as she was so full of life and always so happy. He needed to hear that from her now so he asked her, "What do you need?"

Caroline shook off her surprise and answered him, "We have a situation... Tripp caught Enzo and in the middle of the rescue one of the other vampires he had escaped and-"

"Wait! What?" Stefan was in shock. They had already been to rescue Enzo and Caroline was still alive? God, he was getting so confused with what was happening on all these Tuesdays. Sometimes it was the same, other times it was different, and even without his direct influence to change something it still turned out different than the original day.

"What?" Caroline creased her brow in confusion, wondering which part Stefan had an issue with, though she could probably guess that it was about Enzo. She rolled her eyes and asked incredulously, "Is this because we were rescuing Enzo?"

"No..." Stefan didn't even sound convincing to himself so he was pretty positive that Caroline wouldn't believe him either.

"Sure!" Caroline rolled her eyes; men! She took a breath to get past her annoyance to explain again, " _Anyway,_ one of Tripp's other vampires got loose and let's just say that he's _hungry_."

Stefan suddenly sat up and paid attention. There was a blood starved vampire on the loose and Caroline was hunting him. That was a red flag of danger to him. His voice was tense with urgency, "Has he killed anyone? Where are you? Are you _alone_?"

"He's killed two people that we've found so far." Caroline's voice expressed the sorrow she felt at two innocent deaths, "Enzo and Matt are helping me look. Matt is patrolling near the border in case he goes near there and Enzo is at the words where Tripp's cabin is. I'm at Whitmore."

"So you are alone?" Stefan was already out the door and heading towards his car. Lucy Bennett could wait, trying to protect Caroline was more important to him.

"Yeah... but I've got my stake at the ready." Caroline replied, her heart fluttering in her chest at Stefan's obvious concern for her. It was nice from the apathy he'd showed her recently.

"Don't go _anywhere_ until I get there." Stefan's voice was firm, he needed her to stay safe until he got there.

"I can't just let him hurt innocent people!" Caroline replied, unwilling to let another person die if she could stop it. She was empathetic to what he had suffered being tortured by Tripp and his men but that didn't give him the right to go around killing whomever he chose. She would stop him before he hurt anyone else, as she was partly responsible for him getting out in the first place. The guilt sat heavy in her chest, and she felt it just as if she had been the one to kill them.

"I mean it, Caroline!" Stefan growled, already weaving his car through traffic at speed so that he could get to her faster, "Just stay where you are. I'm not that far away now."

Caroline debated with herself, she really wanted to find him before he did more damage, but having Stefan helping her like old times was hard to resist. She struggled with her choice for a few more moments before finally relenting, "Okay fine. I'll wait for you."

"Thank you!" Stefan released a grateful sigh, pushing his foot on the gas even harder until his foot was practically touching the floor. He was determined to get to her, "I'll see you very soon."

"You'd better hurry, Stefan. Now _I_ mean it." Caroline replied, her tone serious and meaningful before she hung up.

Stefan's only response was to push his foot down hard.

 

* * *

 

Caroline was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest and her foot tapping impatiently as she waited for Stefan to get there. She didn't want to waste any time when there was a blood starved vampire hunting on campus. Again.

The irony that Enzo was the one that killed their roommate Megan back in freshman year was not lost on her. She was hunting for a hungry vampire that she'd accidentally released after saving the vampire that had killed her first roommate. Her life was most definitely weird.

"Caroline!" Stefan called as soon as he spotted her, racing over to her to take in for himself that she was still in one beautiful piece. He released a sigh of relief at no obvious sign that she had been hurt. He smiled at her as he asked, "You okay?"

"I'm fine." Caroline was not used to Stefan worrying about her like this, and it was confusing to her as she was trying to bury whatever feelings she had for him deep down so that she never could entertain those kind of thoughts again. He was making it very hard for her to do that.

"Who are we looking for?" Stefan asked, anxious to find this vampire and stake him before he even had the chance to touch Caroline.

"I didn't get too good a look at him." Caroline frowned as she tried to recall what he looked like in the chaos of Enzo's rescue, "He was brunette, I think." She tried to think back but it was all a blur, "He shouldn't be too hard to spot, what with being covered in blood and all."

"Okay." Stefan nodded, quickly thinking of a plan, "Where have you already looked? We will check where you haven't been."

Caroline immediately shook her head, "What's the point of you helping me if you are just gonna be with me? We need to split up to cover more ground."

"No, Caroline." Stefan frowned, placing his hand on her arm as he warned her, "It's too dangerous to look for him alone."

"I'm not helpless." Caroline stiffened, shaking off Stefan's hand as she straightened her spine, "I am not the same girl that Elena almost killed. I've gotten stronger and I won't be treated like a fragile doll that will break apart if something comes to hurt me."

Stefan could almost groan, by insinuating that Caroline couldn't defend herself he knew that she would head off by herself just to prove him wrong. Stubborn, strong willed, prove everyone wrong about her, best friend of his. She infuriated him and made him proud of her all at the same time. No one could do this to him but her.

Not waiting for his response Caroline carried on with her plan, "I've looked here. I'll head towards the dorms on that side and you can take the dorms on the other side."

"Caroline." Stefan clenched his teeth, not liking being away from her when they were searching for a dangerous vampire.

"That's the plan, Stefan." Caroline crossed her arms over her chest, her face pinched in determination as she glared at him, "It's my way or you can just go and leave me to it."

Well he was most definitely _not_ going to do that. He kept his jaw locked but reluctantly agreed with her plan. He implored her with his eyes, his voice soft with his concern for her, "We'll do it your way but the moment you find _anything_ you call me. Promise?"

Caroline was hesitant to agree but with the way that he was looking at her – so full of caring that it took her breath away – she found herself agreeing, "Okay. I promise."

Stefan still couldn't relax but he was slightly more at ease that she would call him when she found who they were looking for. He didn't want to leave her but hopefully the vampire was in his dorm and not the one she was going to. He had to remind her again before he left her, "Call me. If you see him. If you even _suspect_ that he's there. _Call me_."

"I will." Caroline promised again, the butterflies filling her stomach at how concerned Stefan was for her.

Stefan walked backwards, keeping Caroline in his sight until he turned the corner. Once she was away from him he vamp sped away, determined to find him before Caroline.

 

* * *

 

Caroline released a shaky breath as Stefan left her. Some part of her wanted him to stay at her side keeping her safe, while the other part, the strong independent woman that she was, knew perfectly well that she could take care of herself without the help of any man. She was strong and she could take care of herself.

She straightened her shoulders and marched with determined purpose in her stride towards the dorm she was going to look in. She had her stake held firmly in her hand, ready to strike down the vampire without hesitation. She would protect any other potential victims from him.

She was responsible for letting him out so she would take it on her shoulders to take him down. It was her mess to clean up and she would do it. Enzo's life wasn't worth dozens of innocents. None of theirs were. They were just as guilty as this vampire, and if any of them ever went off the rails she knew that all of them would do whatever they could stop them, even if it meant putting one of them down permanently. Though she prayed that it never came down to that, as she wouldn't want the burden of putting her down to be on the shoulders of those that she loved.

She took a deep calming breath before pushing open the door to the dorms.

 

* * *

 

Stefan took quick work of checking the dorm. He stretched out his hearing and listened hard for any sign of struggle, sounds of pain, or the sound of feeding. He couldn't hear anything but that didn't stop him from looking in each room just to be sure.

The more he searched the more concerned he grew. The vampire wasn't in this dorm, he was positive about that having searched all of it, so that left the terrifying possibility of him being in the dorm where Caroline currently was. Alone.

He had to get to her.

He needed to protect her.

He couldn't let her die again when he could do something to help her. Even if he failed at least he tried, he didn't just sit back and wait for her to be taken from him, he did everything in his power to save her. Even if it meant nothing, even if she died today anyway because of the curse, at least he tried. He did everything to save her whenever he could just as he'd been doing for the... god knows how many Tuesdays it's been now.

He'd lost count.

He thinks it might be around his tenth Tuesday but he wasn't certain. They had all started to bleed together, and the only thing he was sure of was the fact that Caroline would die and he would wake up to the sound of "Turn Back Time" playing from the alarm clock. They were his only constants, and he hated each one almost as much as the other.

When he saves Caroline he would never _ever_ hear that song again. He would find every copy and burn it if not for the fact that everything was digital nowadays. He would give someone his entire fortune to delete that song from existence. He _hated_ it, truly loathed it with his entire being, as it would forever remind him of Caroline dying.

 _When_ he saves her, he will have Caroline pick a song that they will dance to, and _that_ will be the song that he will associate with her. A song linked to saving her life.

That's a song he would never grow tired of hearing.

 _Ever_.

 

* * *

 

Caroline was moving around the corridor slowly and stealthily, trying to make as little noise as possible so as not to alert the vampire to her presence before she was ready to face him. She hadn't found him yet, or heard any sounds that he was here, but until she had searched every single dorm room she wouldn't be convinced that he wasn't here.

She had to be sure.

She pushed open the door to the next dorm room and continued her search. There was nothing and no one in this room. She shut the door behind her and moved onto the next one.

 

* * *

 

Stefan quickly made his way over to the dorm that Caroline was looking inside. He moved quietly but at speed so that he could find her faster. She hadn't called him yet so he took that as a sign that she hadn't found anything yet, and as it was still the same day he knew that she was still alive.

He had hope that he was still in time to save her.

He listened intently for any noise that was unusual. He heard the sound of a muffled cry, followed by rapid swallowing somewhere nearby. That was him. Stefan was a ripper, he knew the sounds of someone feeding, especially someone feasting with an intense ravenous hunger.

He gripped his stake in his hand, ready to strike at the first sign of his target, and made his way towards the room he was feeding in.

 

* * *

 

Caroline suddenly stopped as she focused her hearing. It was faint but she could definitely detect the sounds of someone feeding on a helpless innocent.

Should she stealthily make her way down? Or should she run and hope to save whoever he was feeding on before it was too late?

There was no choice to make.

She ran.

 

* * *

 

Stefan forcefully pushed open the door, growling menacingly at the vampire, interrupting him as he was feeding on a girl.

The vampire tore his fangs roughly away from the neck of the girl he was eating, hissing at the intrusion to his much needed meal. He took a moment to assess the situation, the man who barged in held a stake and looked prepared to use it.

He reacted instantly, throwing the bleeding sobbing girl at the man before he vamped out and made a break for it.

Stefan caught the girl, the sight of the blood pouring from the wound in her neck didn't affect him like it used to. It made his fangs itch and tantalized his thirst, the sight of blood would do to any vampire, but he could resist it. He could actually help this girl without wanting to tear into her neck.

Caroline had done it. She had helped him, she had turned him into a – dare he ever _think_ it – a reformed ripper. He was amazed, but he didn't have time to celebrate this small miracle.

He had a vampire to find and kill before he could hurt the reason for his new control.

He deposited the girl on her bed, ripping into his wrist he bled into her mouth and once he was sure she'd swallowed his blood he compelled her, "You won't remember him feeding on you or me giving you blood. You will have a shower and then go to bed." He made sure it took before he bolted.

 

* * *

 

Caroline was running down the stairs and burst through the doors. She listened intently for a moment but she couldn't hear the sound of feeding anymore. He must have killed the person and then moved on.

She resisted the urge to punch the wall at failing to save an innocent. It killed her to lose another person but she couldn't dwell on it, she still had to find him before he hurt anyone else.

She made her way down the hallway, not as stealthily as before but still quieter than a regular human. She even held her breath to try and not give herself away.

 

* * *

 

Stefan walked out of the dorm room, leaving the compelled girl to do as he'd told her to. He made his way down the hallway, listening intently for the sound of movement, when he heard the too quiet for a human moving not far away. He held his stake at chest height and moved silently towards the sound.

He inched himself along the hallway towards a corner, he was sure that the vampire was on the other side of it, so he took a breath and tensed his hand ready to strike.

He thrust his hand in a strike to the heart before he'd even fully turned the corner. He felt satisfied that he'd removed the target until his eyes stared straight into Caroline's tearful gaze. He'd cried out in horrified shock, catching her in his arms just before she hit the ground, falling to his knees with her as his eyes filled with tears.

"No, no, no, no, no..." He repeated in a broken voice, the tears pouring from his eyes as he watched her grey before his eyes. He sobbed in despair, completely inconsolable as he removed the stake from her heart and threw it recklessly across the hallway.

"No, Caroline. No!" He cried helplessly, his trembling hands cradling her once lovely and radiant face as he stared directly into her dead eyes. It only made the tears fall faster and his heart break completely.

She was dead.

Caroline was dead.

He'd killed her.

His own hand had thrust a stake into her chest and he had been the reason that the light that was _Caroline_ left her eyes.

He moved his hands from her face to clutch her in his arms, burying his face in her hair as he cried in utter despair, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. So sorry, Caroline." His heart wrenched in agony in his chest with the silence that was his only reply, "God... I'm so sorry, Caroline."

He clutched her painfully tight against him, willing life back into her as he sobbed with despair. He couldn't be the reason that she was gone. He was supposed to protect her from _everything_. He was supposed to be the one to save her. Not kill her.

 _She was dead. The day should start over_. His eyes widened with hope as the thought broke through his grief. She wasn't permanently dead as the day would start over.

He shut his eyes tightly, keeping his arms like steel bands around her as he repeated desperately, his voice cracking with every word, his tears falling unending down his wet cheeks.

"Please wake up. Please wake up. Please wake up." He cried harder as he was still in the hallway holding the body of his dead best friend. The best thing in his life was grey and lifeless in his arms. He sobbed hopelessly as he prayed, begging for anyone that was listening to answer his prayer.

"Let me wake up. Let it be Tuesday again. Please." Stefan opened his eyes and screamed at the ceiling in the empty hallway, "Bring her back! Start the day again. Let me listen to that damn song again. Please..." He dropped his head against hers, screwing his eyes shut so that he wouldn't look into those dull blue eyes that once sparkled with so much life, " _Please_!"

_Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. God, just let me wake up._

_WAKE UP!!!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC
> 
> AN - Um, yeah, that did just happen. I'm so sorry! *runs and hides*


End file.
